James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and I wish him well in this new and important Department. I was glad to hear other Senators, including Senator McFadden, make the point that community development relates not only to rural communities but all communities across Ireland.

One might wonder why a Senator from Dublin would want to speak about rural communities but there is huge agricultural endeavour and land mass in Fingal, which brings with it lots of opportunities in terms of housing provision and job creation. I would like to focus my contribution on the rural communities in Ballyboughal, Naul, Garristown, Oldtown, Balrothery, Loughshinny and Balscadden, all of which are thriving villages and communities but they need support and special attention. I know that the Minister, in terms of his extensive knowledge and experience of rural life and rural communities, small towns and villages, will give this area the attention that it deserves. Outside of those villages, there are people involved in local businesses who are trying to be innovative and to create employment. One such initiative is the delivery of fresh meat to rural areas by a local man, in respect of which he holds a licence. This is important to elderly people in particular who live in areas not served by the level of transport provided in towns and cities. It is also important in the context of our desire to maintain rural communities. There is nothing new in this. When I was a child living in North County Dublin, people in Lusk, the population of which at that time was about 500, had bread and milk etc. delivered to their homes. When people come up with innovative ideas around delivery services, be that of meat products or groceries generally, they need to be supported and encouraged.

In another area in between Lusk and Ballyboughal, there is a farmer who wants to develop an abattoir and a new business which specialises in Dexter beef. There is a lot of interest in this initiative but he needs support to get up and running. If he is successful more jobs will be created and more people will be able to remain in that community. The Minister more than anyone else will understand the value of families and communities being able to stay together. Nowadays it is a luxury for parents to have their adult children living within a commutable distance from them so that they can help and support them in rearing their children and they, in turn, can support them as they grow older. There are also huge opportunities in Fingal in terms of tourism with the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre in the Naul. Rural Fingal is a hidden gem, close to Dublin city.

I previously raised on the Order of Business the issue of the deprivation index and I made the point that in terms of the manner in which it is put, it together does not reflect reality nowadays. We need to support our communities as they develop, particularly towns such Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan, which have exploded in terms of population. These areas need more support from Youthreach, Foróige and other groups. I know that the Minister, of necessity, will be operating not only in this Department but across a number of Departments. I wish him well. Senator Coffey spoke about greenways. There is an opportunity for a coastal greenway stretching from Sutton-Portmarnock to Malahide and on to Balbriggan, with the added advantage of train stations all along that route such that if a person was cycling the greenway and felt too tired to cycle home he or she could hop on a train. This could be a wonderful amenity not only for rural Fingal but for all the people in Dublin city and the 27 million people who pass through Dublin Airport. There is so much more I could say on this issue.I want to emphasise that the Minister's role will extend to, and have a very important impact upon, the towns and villages of Fingal. I wish both him and his Department well in their endeavours.