Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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568. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will implement a rural proofing strategy in conjunction with the Minister of State for Rural Affairs, aimed at revitalising rural towns and villages, and maintaining vital services such as post offices, schools, Garda stations, health facilities, and so on; if he will implement the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas reports, in tandem with the rural proofing strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17817/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Minister Kelly and I are committed to supporting the development of rural Ireland, including its towns and villages. In this regard, we are also committed to advancing the implementation of the CEDRA Report recommendations and to ensuring that national and local systems and programmes facilitate and support rural development and rural communities.

To facilitate this agenda, I established the CEDRA Interdepartmental Group (IDG), comprising senior representatives of all relevant Government Departments. As Chair of that Group, I am working to ensure that the work that is being progressed across Government Departments has a rural focus and reflects the challenges and issues facing rural Ireland. This in effect, provides an important system for rural proofing.

In addition to this, both Minister Kelly and I have indicated recently that we intend to advance the implementation of recommendation 1 of CEDRA Report, which calls for the development of a Rural Policy Statement. Work on this will begin shortly and I am confident that this will provide a framework to ensure that due consideration is given to the challenges and issues facing rural communities and will support the alignment of policy design and implementation frameworks.