Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome this opportunity to say a few words on the revitalisation of rural communities. I am interested in this area and have spoken on it at many seminars. The factors that contributed to population decline were economic trends, changes in farming patterns and infrastructural provision. I was worried that if those trends were not reversed, we would be in serious trouble. We must look at ways to revitalise our communities.

One way forward is to have the broadband vision of the future and look at how we interact that with our local community. As well as having broadband, we must look at our planning legislation and how local government and planners deal with one off housing for those who wish to live in these areas again. If we had broadband, cottage industries could start and give opportunities for young people in schools to get involved in computer training. This is an opportunity I want to see on the agenda not just today. We should come back to this again to get an update on how we are progressing on bringing broadband to all rural areas, schools, communities, small businesses and the ordinary person who wants to connect in any way he can to the outer community. We want to decentralise ourselves, not be always talking about urbanisation, and we need rural communities to be vital.

I welcome the motion by the Labour Party to recognise the importance of rural Ireland to the social fabric of the nation and to call on the Government to give a comprehensive national broadband scheme to all rural areas. I support that. It is the way forward; there is no question about it. However, we must keep asking the Minister to update us on his progress with regard to that vision for the future.