Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

Is the Minister of State saying that in a rural county such as Mayo with a designated hub or gateway town the smaller towns, if they have a plan in place, can develop without the hub or gateway town reaching the targeted population figure? The senior Minister has clearly said in this House that the targeted population figures for hub and gateway towns must be reached before anything can done in the smaller towns. Therefore, we are at a crossroads in that respect. I understood the senior Minister to say the projected population figures for hub and gateway towns must be reached before anything can happen in the smaller towns. We should be clear about what he said because we are getting mixed messages on the issue.