Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress made by his Department in identifying rural communities where there has been serious population decline following the results of Census 2006; the plans he has to assist these communities through the programmes available to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32611/07]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the trends identified through Census 2006 in relation to rural communities; if the census indicated a major decline in relation to the population of such communities compared to Census 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32612/07]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 86 together.

Despite continuing urbanisation, Ireland is still a comparatively rural country. About 40% of the population continue to live in rural areas and while the rates of population growth over the past decade have been greater in urban than in rural areas, population growth in the regions has still been strong.

The Western Development Commission (WDC) has carried out some initial analysis of the results of Census 2006 in relation to rural areas. They found that the total population of aggregate rural areas has shown an increase of 7.5% in 2006 over 2002, while the total population of aggregate town areas has shown an increase of 8.7% in 2006. The percentage of the total population living in aggregate rural areas remains almost unchanged at 39.3% — compared with 39.5% in 2002.

One of the key goals of my Department is to promote and maintain living and working populations in rural areas by helping to foster sustainable and culturally vibrant communities. Since its establishment in 2002, my Department has been vigorously pursuing policies and programmes that seek to address the changing nature of rural communities, support their development and promote better regional balance.

In particular, I would draw the attention of the Deputies to the following schemes and programmes operated by my Department.

The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) provides resources to maintain and improve local amenities and facilities in rural areas. Communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fisher persons, while the participants (2,600 in total) are provided with opportunities to improve existing skills, and develop new ones, as they perform valuable work in the community. Significantly, the RSS has allowed people to supplement their farm income and, yet, remain involved in farming. In this way, many family farm incomes have remained viable, which I know the Deputies will appreciate, is critical for the vitality of rural communities throughout the country.

The CLÁR Programme supports physical, economic and social infrastructure, in rural areas that have suffered a population loss, across a variety of measures. It acts as a lever to elicit money from other sources through funding and co-funding arrangements with other Departments and agencies. Over 4,000 projects have been approved for funding in CLÁR areas from 2002 to date, many of which would not have gone ahead without CLÁR funding. In adding to the infrastructure of rural Ireland, I am sure the Deputies will agree that they have considerably improved the living conditions of rural communities.

For the Rural Development Programme for Ireland 2007-2013, I have secured an almost three-fold increase in funding available. Key outside the farm gate measures will be targeted such as diversification into non-agricultural activities, support for business creation and development, encouragement of tourism activities, services for the economy and rural population, village renewal and development and conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage.

Furthermore, I see the area of countryside recreation and pursuits such as walking and cycling, in particular, as offering great potential for rural communities in the future. The development of countryside recreation will be a key part of the measures to be rolled out under the new Rural Development Programme.

I would also like to briefly mention some other programmes run by my Department which, I believe, are of relevance:

a new pilot night-time rural transport scheme was introduced earlier this year to target to allow rural people to fully participate in the various activities – community, sporting and social – that takes place in rural areas in the evening.

the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme has a particular focus on supporting people and communities suffering disadvantage and exclusion through a wide spectrum of locally promoted actions.

Projects funded under the Community Development Programme provide a focal point for community activity within the local neighbourhoods.

while the Community Services Programme is not a rural initiative per se, it aims to support the economic and social regeneration of local communities and to provide employment opportunities for the unemployed or other disadvantaged persons. Over 400 projects throughout the country are being funded.

The work being done by the WDC is also of relevance. One of the Commission's initiatives is the 'Look West' promotion and advertising campaign which positions the West as an appealing place to live and work. It is aimed at people in and around the greater Dublin area who may consider moving to the West. The key message of the initiative is the excellent quality of life available in the western counties — typically, people living in the West can enjoy shorter commuting times, lower house prices, more affordable childcare and other services and a rich and varied sporting and cultural life.

In addition, in the period 2002-2006, €17m was invested through the Western Investment Fund in 66 enterprises in the western region. The Fund is managed by the WDC.

Looking to the future, I believe that the signs are very encouraging for rural communities. As well as providing continued funding for the programmes operated by my Department, the National Development Plan (NDP) will — within the framework of other national policies and programmes — continue to assist in the social and economic development of rural areas through measures such as rural transport, broadband, non-national roads, rural water services, broadband and agriculture. Indeed, the Deputies should note that for the first time ever, a dedicated chapter on the development of the rural economy is included in the NDP.

The implementation of the National Spatial Strategy over the coming years will, I believe, also have a significant impact on the development of rural communities.