Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ring, to the Chamber this afternoon to talk about rural affairs and what he has been doing since he came to office. I compliment him on his work to date.I know the Minister is a man who is passionate about where he comes from. He lives in rural Ireland. I know from speaking to many of his rural constituents that they sing his praises about how passionate and committed he is to developing and promoting rural Ireland.

My colleague, Senator O'Donnell, referred to the fact that the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, visited us in Limerick only one month ago. I was delighted that he took up my invite to Murroe, County Limerick, where he saw first-hand the progress made there with the community council and the work it has done with the walking track, pitches and so on.

It is all about the various areas of the Department that have come together to develop the community and their plans for the future. I welcome the fact that the Minister announced recently the next round of the town and village renewal scheme. The closing date is 25 May. I encourage all groups to avail of the funding because many substantial projects have been delivered through the scheme. Many towns and villages local to me are looking at some applications. The scheme has been helpful in the revitalisation and regeneration of areas. Those in some rural areas were beginning to believe they were being left behind. I believe there has been a positive aspect to what the Department has done to date.

Last year the Government announced Food Wise 2025. It is about creating jobs in the agrifood business in rural Ireland. Does the Minister have any update on that?

I note there were incentives to get people to live in rural Ireland. The initiative was launched some months ago. Does the Minister have any update on that? While Limerick city is thriving in terms of jobs and job creation, many people are now buying houses that were vacant in the towns and villages. This is positive in terms of the future development of Limerick and the region. People are buying houses in villages in Tipperary, including Newport and Birdhill, as well as in Tipperary town. One of the major employers in Limerick has people coming from 13 counties. They are not all coming from within the city area. I believe this is positive in terms of any incentives that can get people to live in rural Ireland while working in the major centres.

Leader and Pobal funding were referred to. These programmes come within the Minister's remit. A Men's Shed project in Limerick is going through an appeals process at the moment for Leader funding. The biggest problem was that the group did not have a permanent site. The council would only give a lease for ten years. This is one of the main reasons the group failed to receive the funding. We have to look projects that are worthwhile not only in terms of what they do for those involved but for the people who hope to sign up to them as well. We need to see how we can incentivise or help these projects to progress. The people who own the site might change their minds in ten years. We have to think outside the box in terms of how we can help some of these worthwhile projects to progress because they are beneficial to the community.