Written answers

Tuesday, 25 September 2018

Department of Rural and Community Development

Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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455. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which he expects to improve the quality of life for persons and communities throughout rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38872/18]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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459. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to further support enterprise and enhance employment across rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38876/18]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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461. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he continues to address the stigmatisation of rural or urban communities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38879/18]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 455, 459 and 461 together.

As Minister with responsibility for Rural and Community Development I note the substantial progress made to improve the quality of life for persons and communities throughout Ireland, both rural and urban.

My primary focus is to support the creation of vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities across this country. This can be achieved through the implementation of programmes and initiatives that facilitate and encourage economic development through the creation of jobs and the infrastructure required to support those jobs, and to support our communities to become and remain desirable places to live, work and raise families.

The Action Plan for Rural Development, the Framework Policy for Local and Community Development in Ireland, and Project Ireland 2040 are the key policy initiatives that set out the ways in which Government aims to address disadvantage and how we can support both rural and urban communities across Ireland.

In particular, the Action Plan for Rural Development, which complements the Regional Action Plans for Jobs and other Government plans and strategies, includes a range of measures which will support enterprise growth and job creation in rural areas. These measures will be delivered across a range of Government Departments, State agencies and other organisations over the period to 2020.

Improving the quality of life of those who live and work in rural communities is another key objective of the Action Plan, which is the most comprehensive Government plan ever produced to support economic and social development in rural areas.

In relation to employment, Labour market data published by the Central Statistics Office, for Quarter 4 2017, shows that employment increased in almost all regions of the country year-on-year. Two-thirds of the 19,332 new jobs created by Enterprise Ireland companies in 2017 were outside of Dublin, while all regions saw increases in IDA employment in 2017, with over 50% of the 19,851 new jobs created last year located outside of Dublin.

My own Department also contributes to supporting job creation and the enhancement of the quality of life in local communities through a range of programmes, including:

- €31.6 million has been invested in over 450 projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

- €23 million has been allocated to almost 500 projects under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure scheme.

- More than 1,200 projects have been approved for total funding of €25 million under the CLÁR programme.

- 1,100 private roads in rural areas have benefitted from investment of €28.2 million under the Local Improvement Scheme since last September; and

- More than 1,300 projects with a value of over €39 million have now been approved under the current LEADER programme. LEADER is a multi-annual programme which has a budget of €250 million over the period to 2020 and has a job creation target of 3,100 over the lifetime of the programme.

- €190 million will be provided by the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme over the period 2018-2022. SICAP aims to reduce disadvantage and poverty in local communities across the country.

- My Department is also working closely with local authorities to support the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan and rural telecommunications infrastructure. We are assisting local authorities to develop local digital strategies, which will be essential if the full economic and social benefits of high-speed broadband connectivity are to be realised equally across all communities over the coming years.

My Department will continue to implement these and other programmes but is also in a position to provide additional investment of €1 billion over the next 10 years through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, which is being delivered as part of the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 commitment to strengthen rural economies and communities.

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