Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has visited Roscommon and Galway multiple times because so many projects have received funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the community centres fund and project development measures.Innovative policies and measures that have made a difference have been introduced. If people say they want to live and work in rural areas, we want to ensure that there are supports and amenities in place. That is what it is all about.

Councillors had not seen the level of funding the Minister has provided during her term of office for many years. I am sure she hears this in places she visits. I pay tribute to her dedication in meeting various groups across the country. She always has a smile for people and is full of enthusiasm and energy. On the occasions when she visited my area, we would have six or seven different events in one day. I would probably have tried to pack more in. Every time she visited, the Minister greeted people and was interested in speaking to them and hearing their stories in order to learn what was happening in the community centres.

Last week, Virgin Media send a camera crew to Moore Community Centre. The centre received funding of more than €100,000. It has a programme called "Fit Farmer" that involves a movement mentor. Virgin Media was there to film people taking part in an exercise class in their brand-new community centre. Communities and people benefit from the fact that they are able to have these services provided nearby. We say that there is €1 million being allocated here and another €1 million being allocated there, but what this actually means is that there is potential for an early childcare service to be provided in a community centre. Someone could be contracted to provide after-school care in a community centre. There could be training courses or exercise classes provided. The connected hubs funding could be rolled out. This would provide places for people to work close to home. Those are things the Minister has achieved. As a member of Fine Gael, I am so proud each time I have been able to show the Minister what she has achieved since entering the Department. She has represented her community. I am sure that in Cavan-Monaghan and Cootehill there are many sad faces today. I can well understand why that would be the case.

The Minister has transformed these communities as a result of what she has done. On the CLÁR programme, coming out of the pandemic, the Minister looked at how we could support meals on wheels services. That benefited Ballinasloe social services, which provided meals to CLÁR areas in Roscommon and Galway within a radius of 10 to 20 km. The Minister has provided emergency buses to bring people for treatment. This is very important for those who live in areas where there are no bus services. The availability of these buses is important when people need to go for chemotherapy or radiation treatment. People are living long, active and healthy lives but they sometimes need help along the way. Help along the way means being able to get the bus to travel for treatment in a timely way or as a matter of urgency, when necessary.

The Minister has visited some really lovely locations. Now she has time with her family, I hope she gets to go back and relax and enjoy them more. We visited Strokestown when the new investment for the National Famine Museum was announced. Of course, that was excellent. The Minister visited rugby clubs in Ballinasloe and elsewhere to announce money for walking tracks. Hopefully, she will get to walk around some of them now. She has done so much that is going to have a major impact. I hope she will get to visit these places again and really enjoy them.

One of the most important matters for people in rural areas who contact my office is the fuel allowance. That is the issue I hear about the most. We have signs up and I keep telling people that a few years ago we expanded the scheme for those over 70 years of age. Some people think they may not be eligible. I have people of 75 or 80 who come in and tell me that they face challenges with costs because their pension does not cover this, that or the other. A couple can now get up to €1,000. I know there were probably changes again in the budget but the fact that this was expanded to those over 70 has made a huge impact. During the debate on a Commencement matter I raised earlier, I was informed that, based on census data, there was a 40% increase in the number people over 65 years of age in the period 2013 to 2022. We are seeing that this trend is continuing. The number of people over 65 stands at 800,000. By 2050, there will be 1.5 million people over the age of 65 in this country. That is a massive increase.

In the context of the recent budget, one of the changes I really like is that carers can now apply for the fuel allowance. This is an extremely important measure for carers because it is recognition of the work they do. Once they are eligible for fuel allowance, all of these people can apply for the retrofit grants. I remind those in receipt of the fuel allowance who may be listening to these proceedings to apply for the retrofit grants offered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

As a Fine Gael spokesperson in the Seanad, I acknowledge the work done in respect of hot school meals. Senator Garret Ahearn has spoken about this as well. I know principals who are overjoyed by this initiative. Many schools wanted to be involved with the pilot scheme that was run last year.It is incredible to think we only had 30 schools five years ago and that it went up to 2,000 schools. The Minister's intent through the budget this year is that all schools will have hot school meals by the end of 2025. She also put a hunger pilot in place for particularly vulnerable areas. Kids are delighted. Putting ovens and storage areas in schools has made it practical and accessible. It is one of the proud achievements of Government over the past number of years.

I acknowledge the community recognition fund. Many communities have welcomed new families into Ireland. There has been a recognition of what they have done. These can be local supports or playgrounds but particularly around childcare. There was more than €500,000 for The Growing Tree childcare facility in Ballaghaderreen. It was an amazing investment. I see three-year waiting lists for childcare at the moment. We need to see how we use those funds and how local authorities apply and use those community recognition funds in a way that benefits areas like childcare and family resources centres, which is what we struggle with and do not have. In the time the Minister has left, I hope she will call for those types of funding for family resource centres and childcare and how to best use community recognition fund. I know there is no end to the Minister's energy and enthusiasm. I am sure that will not change. No one will tell me otherwise because I have seen it. I hope I have the benefit of getting to show her again, in a more relaxed way perhaps, when she comes to visit Roscommon and Galway. I appreciate everything she has done for our counties. I know I speak for many councillors who have enjoyed having the Minister come to visit over the past few years.