Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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90. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on the new rural development plan given that the current plan, Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, expires in 2025. [14509/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Our Rural Future has been in place for almost five years and has provided vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people across rural Ireland.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026, and I am glad to say that the process of developing this successor policy has already begun.

The new policy will be informed by an ongoing OECD review of rural policy in Ireland, commissioned by my Department, together with an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process. The OECD review process will bring a valuable independent expertise to the policy development process, while our extensive consultation plans will help to ensure that the new policy links directly to the needs of people in our rural communities.

The consultation process commenced on March 10th with an online survey which is open until Wednesday April 2nd. Details on how to access this survey can be found on my Department’s website. The survey findings will inform a series of in person consultation events which will take place in various locations across the country commencing in May.

The framework of the new policy, outlining the emerging themes and priorities, will then be published for a period of written public consultation later in the year and I look forward to engaging with colleagues on the new policy in due course.

Government is committed to building on the success of Our Rural Future and to securing a bright future for our rural communities. Central to this will be the continuation of our whole of Government approach to rural development, and I look forward to working with my colleagues across Government in the development of a new national rural development policy over the coming months.