Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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155. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on whether the full potential of the Western Development Commission has been harnessed in the past and is being harnessed at present; her plans to provide supports to fully develop the commission's potential; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20345/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Western Development Commission was established in 1999 to promote, foster and encourage economic and social development in the Western Region, defined as the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare. While the Commission has achieved a lot since its establishment, there have also been a number of new important policy and operational developments in relation to regional development in recent years, including the introduction of the Regional Action Plan for Jobs process and the provision of a statutory role for the Local Authorities and the Regional Assemblies in economic development.

A Programme for a Partnership Government includes a specific commitment to reinforce the role of the WDC so that it can continue to play an important part, in light of these developments, in the Government’s efforts to achieve more effective regional development across the country.

In this context, the WDC has been involved in an increasing number of initiatives, some of which go beyond the role the body has played to date, and which can develop its potential further.

For example:

- The WDC is represented on the Implementing Committees which oversee the delivery of the Action Plans for Jobs for the West and North-West regions.

- The body is also represented on the Monitoring Committee for the Action Plan for Rural Development which is chaired by Minister Humphreys. The WDC is assisting my Department, as part of a sub-group of the Monitoring Committee, in developing indicators to measure the impact of the Action Plan on rural communities.

- The Commission is also represented on a new Taskforce which I established in March to progress the concept of an Atlantic Economic Corridor along the western seaboard. The WDC is involved in a sub-group of the Taskforce which is mapping out the options for EU funding which could support the development of the Western region.

- The WDC has also assisted my Department by participating in, and reporting on, a public Dialogue on the implications of Brexit for areas such as rural communities, regional SMEs, culture, the Irish language, and heritage and outdoor recreation.

I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work with the WDC and draw on its expertise and potential to support regional economic and social development, particularly in the Western region.