Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, to the House for a comprehensive afternoon discussion on rural Ireland and all the issues that pertain thereto. I emphasise that the good news in all of that will be that we have a vibrant rural Ireland and that many great things are happening there, although we would want to fill any deficits that exist. I congratulate the Minister on the announcement last week of the rural regeneration scheme grants. To date, €86 million has been spent on 84 projects. It is a huge success nationally and is transformative for communities. The thing I most congratulate the Minister on is that he is only grant-aiding shovel-ready projects so we do not have money wasted in delays, and if money is invested, it is spent on the day.

Last week, Cavan and Monaghan were very successful in the allocation of rural regeneration grants across places like Castleblayney, Clones, Ballyjamesduff and Cootehill. All across Cavan and Monaghan there were significant grants that are part of the €10 million that has been spent in my constituency by the Minister since he came into office. It is a huge investment in rural Ireland. We should be very proud of it as it transforms the lives of people and their quality of life, creates jobs and has a multiplier effect on the economy and on community life.

We would have the debate to monitor where all of that is going, look at the projects and insist projects must be shovel-ready. We must also insist that we are generating enough projects to ensure they continue bubbling up, as well as discussing other facets such as rural transport. There is a need for a comprehensive debate on rural Ireland with the Minister shortly. While we have much to be proud of, that is never a reason for complacency.