Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Ó Céidigh, who created thousands of jobs in his many different roles and who continues to create jobs. I understand that he has recently established a new business in Connemara, which his daughter is running. The entrepreneurial spirit is with Senator Ó Céidigh and we are fortunate to have his expertise in the House.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Minister, Deputy Ring, in his new capacity as a Cabinet Minister. It is long overdue, if I may say so, and I am absolutely delighted for him. The first time I came across the Minister was when I canvassed for him in the 1994 by-election in Mayo. At the time people were not giving Fine Gael much hope of winning that by-election. Deputy Ring gave great hope when he won the by-election against all the odds, and he continued to do that in his capacity as a Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. He reactivated the swimming pool grants scheme and the sports capital grant scheme, which assisted hundreds of sporting organisations in rural Ireland to kick-start capital investment at a time when money was not as plentiful as it is now.

He has now taken on a new challenge of kick-starting parts of rural Ireland that have not necessarily benefitted from the upturn. He is doing this is in a focused, strategic and determined manner, with the support of our new Taoiseach and Government. The Minister, Deputy Ring, has been given this role because rural Ireland is in his veins. He knows how it is done. All one need do is look at his home town of Westport to see what has been achieved there in respect of development. Many towns in Ireland would like to emulate what has been achieved in Westport. Time will tell.

I come from County Clare and we are the first county to have a rural development strategy. We have a rural development directorate within the county council. There has been much talk, especially at local authority level, about developing rural Ireland. The Minister has made many different schemes available in his time in the role. It is quite sad to see that some counties do not spend the money they have been given to any large extent. Allocations of funding are made and in some categories the spend might only be 20% or 30%. It is extremely frustrating for a Minister who has been constantly lobbied to make grant aid and money available for projects to see the money unspent at the end of the year. The Minister can only do so much in his capacity as the Minister for Rural and Community Development. There also is an onus on the people down along the food chain to get moving and to use their initiative, be creative and - most importantly - to spend the money they have been allocated.

I had not realised until today that the Charities Regulator also comes under the Minister, Deputy Ring's brief. It makes sense that it should because communities in Ireland are very involved in the charity sector. I believe the regulator is an extremely important development that is badly needed. We have seen the scandals that have taken place in a small minority of charities over the years. The Charities Regulator will bring professionalism and transparency to the whole charity industry. The streamlining of charities is badly needed. There are mass sporting events that are held for charity where thousands of people take part in runs or cycles. While it is great to see people out and about, like anything else it needs to be regulated. The last thing we need is small towns or communities having to accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 participants in a mass sporting event. While these events do have benefits, there are also challenges. I would appreciate the Minister asking the regulator to review the protocols in place with local authorities in dealing with mass sporting events. There are some mass sporting events that have a great history and have been going on for a long time such as the Ring of Kerry cycle. A lot of other events are springing up, however, and I believe it is necessary to have some sort of regulation in order that the good people who are involved get to enjoy it and contribute to the event and that no community feels it is absolutely being taken over and hijacked for a weekend or some time.

The fact that the Minister, Deputy Ring, is the first senior Government Minister with responsibility for rural and community affairs says a lot about the Government's commitment. Looking back over the years, criticism can sometimes be justified in respect of rural Ireland being forgotten. There have been cases of twin development where cities blossomed and rural Ireland was forgotten. Since last June - and prior to that - but especially since this Department was created, a statement is being made about the Government's commitment. It is similar to when the Department of Children and Youth Affairs was established and a senior Minister for children was appointed. We then saw referendums and a lot of development in that area.

I believe we will see significant wins in rural development very quickly. The Minister, Deputy Ring knows that rural Ireland needs quick wins. The money made available last week for the agricultural shows around the State was a significant development. These shows, many of which have been running for decades, are run by volunteers and communities and act as attractions for tourism and so on. For the first time, these agricultural shows will get financial support from the Government. This is the type of joined-up thinking and partnership between government and community groups that will see rural Ireland foster, develop and achieve its potential.

Aside from Athenry, one will never get the likes of Apple or Google employing thousands of people in rural Ireland. We can, however, get thousands of cottage industries employing ten, 20, 30, 50 or 100 people that create everything from food to small crafts and so on. These businesses can be sustainable and can sell the Irish message all over the world. We have seen what can be achieved with joined-up thinking in the Wild Atlantic Way. We see what can be achieved when there is a partnership between community groups and the Government. I believe that if we are here in one or two years' time, we will indeed be praising the Minister for what has been achieved.

All that is left for me to say is to wish the Minister, Deputy Ring, well. He will have our absolute support in this House when it comes to his Department and the good work it is doing. I would appreciate the Minister coming to the House perhaps every three or four months to update Senators on the various projects and schemes he is initiating that will not just revive rural Ireland but will also result in rural Ireland thriving.