Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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344. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the appointment of new members and a chair to the Western Development Commission; his plans to give extra funding and responsibilities to the commission in view of the recent statement by the outgoing chair of the commission in which he criticised the Department's and the Government's attitude to it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22083/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Expressions of interest for appointment to the Board of the Western Development Commission (WDC) were recently advertised on the website www.stateboards.ie, with a closing date of 26th April 2017. The expressions of interest which were received will now be assessed through a process organised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) in accordance with the Guidelines for Appointments to State Boards.

PAS will provide me, for consideration, with a list of candidates who have been assessed as meeting the criteria for the role of Board member. I will appoint a new Board and Chair as soon as possible once these processes have been completed.

I do not agree with recent comments made by the former Chair of the WDC questioning the Government’s commitment to regional and rural development and to the WDC. Regional and rural development is a key priority for the Government and this is reflected in the many commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Governmentto support regional and rural progress. Significant developments in this regard include the publication of the Action Plan for Rural Development, the establishment of a Taskforce to progress the concept of an Atlantic Economic Corridor, and the development of a National Planning Framework which is being coordinated on behalf of the Government by Minister Coveney.

The Programme for a Partnership Governmentalso includes a specific commitment to reinforce the role of the WDC so that it continues to play an important part in the Government’s efforts to achieve more effective regional development.

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

- The Commission is represented on the 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 in 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.

Strengthening the Commission’s role in this way is not contingent on providing them with extra funding, but shows how their expertise and potential can be drawn upon to support the Government’s objective of supporting economic and social development across the regions.