Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 May 2025
399. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he accepts that the Our Rural Future rural development strategy failed to adequately prioritise rural housing delivery; the specific measures being taken to address this failure in the next rural development framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21896/25]
View answer400. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his assessment of the impact of Our Rural Future on rural community safety, policing levels and public service provision in rural areas; and if he will acknowledge the concerns raised by rural communities regarding ongoing deficits in these critical areas. [21897/25]
View answer401. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which the public consultation process on the successor to Our Rural Future will address shortcomings in the current policy, including issues of rural depopulation, housing, policing and access to essential services; and if he will ensure that the next rural strategy includes binding targets and timelines for delivery. [21898/25]
View answer402. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will detail the actions taken under Our Rural Future to retain young people in rural areas through job creation and education initiatives; if he will outline whether these efforts have been successful; and if he will indicate how youth retention will be prioritised in the next rural development strategy. [21899/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 399 to 402, inclusive, together.
Our Rural Future was published in 2021 and, over its five-year lifespan, has provided significant investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland.
My Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme continues support the objectives of Our Rural Future by providing an unprecedented level of funding for rural Ireland.
The importance of the many issues raised by the Deputy is reflected in the more than 170 commitments contained in Our Rural Future. Implementation of these actions (as well as policy responsibility for individual areas) is a matter for the responsible departments and their agencies, and my Department and I will continue to work across Government on the development and delivery of these and future commitments in respect of rural Ireland.
Updates on Our Rural Future activity are provided through six-monthly Progress Reports and annual Work Programmes which set out the actions for delivery each year. These documents are published and available on my Department's website. The Seventh Progress Report, providing updates to the end of 2024, will be made available shortly.
While much has been achieved under Our Rural Future, the Government recognises the importance of continuing the level of supports and investment in rural areas. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026.
The process of developing this successor policy has already begun. An independent review of rural policy in Ireland, currently being carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will form an evidence-based foundation for the new policy, and our consultations began with an online survey (panel.amarachsurveys.ie/S2/159/DRCD2025/) which ran from 10 March until 2 April 2025.
This survey included questions on a broad range of themes of importance for rural Ireland, including those to which the Deputy has referred in his questions, and more than 1,200 responses were received and are currently being analysed to identify key issues of concern. The views expressed by survey respondents will directly inform the policy development process, including the upcoming series of stakeholder and public consultation events.
I expect that topics such as rural housing, attracting and retaining young people and their families, access to essential services, rural enterprise, community safety and policing, and the many other opportunities and challenges facing rural Ireland will continue to arise throughout the consultation process. The drafting of the specific content of the new policy over the coming months will be clearly linked to the evidence gathered from consultation.
Rural development is and will remain integrally linked to the work of all relevant departments and we will continue our whole-of-Government approach as we develop actions to address these issues for implementation throughout this next phase of Ireland’s rural development policy.
Support for rural Ireland remains a priority across Government and I am committed to building on the success of Our Rural Future and securing a more sustainable and resilient future for our rural communities.
