Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment proposed by Senator Marc MacSharry.

I have risen in this House in recent months to rail against Government plans, either intentional or aspirational, for rural Ireland. I am sad to have to report to the House again firm evidence that one of the most successful rural schemes, the rural social scheme, is under threat. Despite pleas to the contrary, I have come to the sad conclusion that when it comes to rural Ireland the Government does not give a toss. This initiative was introduced by our colleague, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, one of the most visionary Ministers in an admittedly discredited Administration in recent years. He introduced many visionary schemes, particularly with a focus on rural Ireland but also on the urban poor, through the Clár programme and its urban parallel. He introduced the rural social scheme at a time when the European Union wanted to dismantle the social employment scheme in its entirety because it said it was not leading to upskilling of its participants who, in turn, were not prepared for work. One should try telling that to people in my part of the country, particularly elderly, single farmers, for whom there are no jobs because there has been no industrial development and because the State agencies have continued to ignore the north west when it comes to the location of industry. How in the name of all that is good can one expect people coming off a social employment scheme to pass effortlessly into the area of work when no work was available? These schemes had, and still have, a strong social dimension. This is not exclusive to my part of the country but wherever there are large rural populations particularly on the western seaboard and other parts where there is a high rural density. That the Government should now propose to take away yet another part of that social scheme is totally off the wall. I do not understand the thinking behind it. It will not save anything. I call on the Leader to ask the relevant Minister the reason the Government is doing this, when it will do it and what it will put in its place. What future will it offer to rural Ireland and, particularly, those farmers who do not have sufficient farm income to sustain rural families, which has been a bedrock of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil policy for decades? I do not know what is the Labour Party view of rural Ireland as I have never been able to figure it out. I hope this is nothing more than a rumour.