Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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973. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she has identified the primary issues of concern among community groups in rural or urban settings whose quality of life has been diminished for one reason or another such as rural isolation and urban or rural anti social behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27892/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In January of this yearthe Government's Action Plan for Rural Development, Realising our Rural Potential, was launched. In preparing the Action Plan, my Department conducted an extensive consultation process around the country to seek the views of people in rural Ireland on the issues of concern to them.The Plan addresses many of those concerns and sets out 276 actions to support the economic and social progress of rural Ireland. It includes a range of measures which will contribute significantly to job creation, the enhancement of local services and addressing social inclusion in rural areas.  Specific examples of actions which will help those who feel isolated or vulnerable in rural areas include:

Significant investment in the Seniors Alert Scheme, which facilitates valuable community-based support for vulnerable older people living alone.

Investment of €46 million in Garda fleet to ensure that Gardaí are mobile, visible and responsive to prevent and tackle crime.

Provision of support for local strategies across rural Ireland to address suicide and improve mental wellbeing.

Maintaining the network of senior helplines in operation throughout the country, which offer a listening service for older people to help address issues such as loneliness and isolation in rural areas.

Support for 450 Men’s Sheds across rural Ireland which provide a safe space where men can gather and participate in their communities, develop social networks and potentially gain new skills and access information.

Continued support and prioritisation of community crime prevention through schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch and Text Alert.

Implementation of the Action Plan is now well under way and significant progress has been achieved in relation to a number of actions. I recently published an Interim Progress Report on the Action Plan which highlights the developments which have taken place across Government to support rural Ireland. The Interim Progress Report is available at www.ruralireland.ie .

The Action Plan will be built on continuously through the addition of new actions to improve the lives of people who live and work in rural communities. In this regard, Mr. Pat Spillane, as Ambassador for the Action Plan, is meeting rural communities across the country to identify on-going issues of concern to them and he reports back to my Department regularly on his findings.