Rural Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

Rural proofing is delivering a record budget for the Department of Rural and Community Development agus an Gaeltacht - an investment that is going to make a difference in rural communities right across the country. Rural proofing is ensuring that Government is delivering on policies in many areas. I was in Achill last Tuesday and saw TFI Anseo, a pilot rural transport scheme that brings rural transport on demand. I am delighted to assure the Deputy that it is operating very successfully. We will work with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, as the Minister of State in charge in that space, to develop services in rural communities right across the country.
We are delivering record capital investment. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, is delivering current investment. We spoke earlier about the community centre investment programme, and we may get to Deputy Gould's question on this. It is transforming community facilities in rural communities. We have spoken throughout the morning about rural ambition being delivered from within communities that is being matched by Government support and by Government ambition, which we clearly outlined in the new Our Rural Future policy, a policy that will be a whole-of-government one and which will drive rural proofing across all Departments and agencies.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-05