Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2026
1070. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the steps being taken to protect essential services in smaller villages across Carlow and Kilkenny, including post offices and local retail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22055/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1071. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the targeted measures in place to retain young people in rural communities in Carlow and Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22056/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1078. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the actions his Department is taking, in collaboration with other Departments and agencies, to improve access to essential services in rural areas, including transport links, community facilities and digital services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22472/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1070, 1071 and 1078 together.
Since its launch in 2021, Our Rural Future has delivered vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies, and improved the quality of life for people across rural Ireland.
Measures delivered through Our Rural Future which can be seen to support our ambition to increase the sustainability of rural areas include improvements in rural transport and the delivery of education, broadband provision, support for rural enterprise, and ongoing support for the agri-food sector. These measures were developed with the goal of encouraging people to remain in or consider rural areas as an attractive place to live, learn, work and raise a family.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy and this process is at an advanced stage of development.
Informed by extensive public and stakeholder consultation throughout 2025, the key themes and priorities for the new policy include promoting balanced regional development to support local economies and strengthening the resilience and sustainability of rural communities including those in Carlow, Kilkenny and Laois.
This new policy will build on the progress already achieved and will set out a renewed vision for the years ahead and will provide the framework for the Government's ongoing commitment to rural Ireland, supported by ambitious, clear and practical actions. The policy will set out four key pillars centred around the broad themes of people, places, economy and environment and outline related objectives and initiatives. For example, the pillar relating to places will focus on quality infrastructure and essential services, while the pillar centring on people will provide details on the plans to build resilient rural communities.
The policy will be backed by substantial investment targeted at securing a more sustainable future for our rural communities. Budget 2026 committed the largest allocation of funding to my department since its establishment. The range of schemes in my department's Rural Development programme will total €192 million this year, continuing the sustained investment of recent years and supporting the range of schemes that are key to the delivery of Our Rural Future.
This builds on significant funding increases in recent years across the range of capital investment schemes including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, the CLÁR Programme and the Local Improvement Scheme. In addition, the target of establishing a network of 400 Connected Hubs has been exceeded, giving people access to flexible, digitally enabled workspaces across the country. These hubs are anchoring jobs and innovation locally, ensuring rural Ireland can compete in an increasingly digital economy and enabling people to pursue quality careers while living in rural communities.
These, and other, initiatives continue to provide vital supports to rural communities, providing positive and tangible impacts in rural towns and village all across the country.
