Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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710. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the measures being undertaken by her Department to address depopulation in rural communities across County Mayo and the rest of the country: how policy interventions can reduce the growth of urban centres at the expense of rural villages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11287/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The core spatial principle of “Ireland 2040: Our Plan, National Planning Framework” is to achieve balanced regional development, city and regional centre-focused growth, and more compact urban development in order to achieve an internationally competitive and sustainable economy and a better quality of life for our citizens.

In line with this principle, my Department's ‘Our Rural Future’,Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025, creates an overarching vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing and development. Indeed Our Rural Futureexplicitly recognises the importance of rural town regeneration and achieving an increase in the number of people living in rural areas.

Additionally, the 'Town Centre First'Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland.

The overall focus of such policies is to make our rural communities, towns and villages more attractive places in which to live, work, and visit. This is reflective of the strong focus within the Programme for Government on balanced regional development.

In support of these policy goals, my own Department implements a suite of targeted investment measures that empowers communities, supports sustainable rural regeneration, and fosters regional growth. In 2022 my Department had a budget allocation of €379 million which supported rural and community development, including through investment in infrastructure and initiatives assisting the retention and attraction of people and jobs throughout the regions. This will continue in 2023 with significant levels of investment under schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, CLÁR, the Community Centre Investment Fund and the LEADER programme.

Scheme priorities are reviewed at the end of each scheme year and this process is at an advanced stage in respect of planning for our 2023 schemes. As part of this process, I am anxious to ensure that the range of schemes offered by my Department continue to be structured in a way that ensures clear coherence, shows alignment with key policies such as Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy, and that delivers real and tangible benefits for communities. Scheduling of scheme announcements for 2023 is currently under review by my officials and I expect to be in a position to announce details of my Department's rural regeneration schemes shortly.