Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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21. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the new rural development policy; when it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24324/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently finalising a new rural development policy for the period 2020-2025.  The new policy will be forward-looking and will build on the progress achieved through the Action Plan for Rural Development 2017-2019. 

The new policy will seek to strengthen and build resilience in our rural communities and economies, particularly in response to COVID-19, and it will identify policy measures that need to be put in place to achieve that objective. 

The process of developing the policy has included a wide range of consultation events with key stakeholders, including Government Departments, State agencies, rural organisations, young people and the wider public.  The insights and views captured through this extensive consultation process have helped to identify the issues that matter to people living and working in rural Ireland.

Over the past number of months, my Department has held a series of further consultations with key stakeholders to explore the short and longer-term implications of COVID-19 for rural communities and rural economies and to identify actions required to assist rural areas to recover from the impact of the virus.

The inputs from all of these consultations are now being factored in to the drafting of the policy and I expect that the final policy will be published in the last quarter of the year.