Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome the establishment of the new Department of Rural and Community Development. Ireland has one of the highest proportions of rural dwellers of almost any EU country. Approximately 40% of our population lives in rural areas whereas the EU average is 27% and the proportion in the UK is 12%. Far too often in the House and elsewhere we hear, as with the contribution just now, people consigning rural Ireland to the scrap heap while painting a picture of terminal decline. While I acknowledge that our rural areas face huge challenges, as do urban areas, there is a great deal that is positive about life in rural Ireland. We must be positive about the future. I believe in rural Ireland. We must challenge the narrative that rural society faces inevitable decline. We must help those who can only see the downside in everything to see that there are positives in rural Ireland. We must lead them to dream of a bright future for our rural communities.

Earlier this year, I welcomed the launch in Ballymahon, County Longford, of the Action Plan for Rural Development by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys. It showed a clear commitment by the Government to building a positive future for rural Ireland. Unlike previous plans, the Action Plan set out specific actions which will have measurable benefits for those living in rural areas. The establishment of this new Department is another demonstration of the priority the Government accords to rural Ireland. It demonstrates once again the commitment and determination of the Government to do something positive. Great things can be achieved when we set our minds to them. Over the history of rural Ireland, a litany of organisations have contributed positively, from the GAA and the co-operative movement to the ICA, Muintir na Tíre, Macra na Feirme and Irish Rural Link. The common trend has been the desire to build a better future for rural Ireland.

During the boom, the Fianna Fáil Government ignored rural Ireland with the exception of Charlie McCreevy's decentralisation plan, which was designed at the time to assist the re-election of Fianna Fáil rather than to help rural Ireland. The party also failed to deliver in that regard. When the crash came, therefore, rural Ireland was particularly badly hit. It suffered huge drops in employment and reductions in services. We are now in the process of recovering from the devastation wrought by Fianna Fáil's mismanagement. The recovery, which was first seen in Dublin and surrounding areas, is now starting to spread right across the country. We will have full employment by the end of 2018, which is soon. Employment is not the only priority for rural Ireland however. We must now start to imagine how it could be different and put the means in place to achieve that ourselves.

There is no shortage of potential in rural Ireland.What we need at local level is for communities to take responsibility for shaping their own futures. At national level, we need the imagination and support to help them in this endeavour. This new Department provides the opportunity for such developments and it reflects the commitment of Government to rural Ireland. This is not just about rural Ireland in that community development, which forms part of the Department's title, is equally relevant in Artane, Athlone and Achill. It supports the work of the individuals and organisations that strive to paint a positive future and see community development as a means of addressing poverty, social exclusion and inequality and wish to see social change and to contribute to the creation of a more just, sustainable and equal society.

In these situations, the role of the Government is often to take a step back and allow communities to decide for themselves and to then support them in realising the priorities they have set themselves. Whether in Ballymore, Brawny or Ballymun, the people of Ireland have the right and the potential to build a better future for themselves. My hope and my belief is that this Department and its enthusiastic Minister will support them in that venture.