I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Deputy O'Connor is not partaking. I am sharing time with Deputies Griffin and Cahill. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and highlight the exceptional work undertaken by the Government and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to revitalise rural Ireland and create thriving regional and rural communities. Certainly, it is the ambition and our collective effort is geared towards ensuring that more people than ever are living, working and raising families outside urban centr…

I concur with my colleagues that the scheme is very important. The 48 different projects that were awarded funding in County Mayo of in the region of €2.2 million will have a really positive impact on both the individuals and the communities that were allocated funding. The direct engagement with local communities and through local community development groups in municipal districts was very important. It demonstrated the efficiency of getting these projects delivered. Certainly the insistence to have 60% of the fu…

It is crucial that Government continues to address the issues of vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages. I would appreciate any insights into the Department's efforts to revitalise our towns and villages.

I thank the Minister for her response. The two policies outlined in her statement around the Town Centre First policy and the town and village renewal scheme are crucial in addressing the pervasive challenges around dereliction and vacancy in many rural towns and villages throughout the country. As someone who advocates for the development and revitalisation of our rural communities, which the Minister is also passionate about, I wish to emphasise the importance of these schemes. She is allocating the money as outl…

I thank the Minister again for her response. I commend her and her Department on their commitment to rural development. I applaud the positive impact under the town and village renewal scheme and the Town Centre First policy. Certainly, as Deputy Ring outlined, the implementation on the ground through local authorities has been disappointing to a degree. Castlebar historic core was allocated more than €11 million under the URDF by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We would like to see other …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for debate. I thank the Minister, Deputy Harris, for being here in the Chamber in the absence of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I raise this matter to bring attention to the critical issue of public transport in rural areas, especially in my constituency of Mayo. It is imperative that the Government continues to invest not only in urban transport but also in connecting our regions and providing adequate transport facilities in rural areas. While …

I thank the Minister for his response. I acknowledge the work the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his officials in the Department of Transport are doing and the commitment they have to delivering public transport that is fit for purpose. As the Minister, Deputy Harris, has acknowledged, we have seen nearly a fourfold increase since 2016 to over €42 million this year in terms of the provision of public transport. That is very welcome. Certainly the Government needs to continue on that trajectory and we need to seiz…

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the proposed EU nature restoration law. This holds immense significance for the wellbeing of future generations by addressing the urgent need to restore biodiversity loss and recognising the crucial role of restoring thriving ecosystems and habitats that have experienced a significant decline. The nature restoration law aims to reverse the decline of biodiversity and to secure a sustainable future for the generations to come. The proposed regulation …

I appreciate that the probate process involves a series of administrative steps, which includes the submission of documents, the verification of assets and the assessment of tax obligations. Unfortunately, however, there are undue delays in the Probate Office, which is causing difficulty and anxiety for applicants, especially those who are dealing with a deceased person's estate. What plans are in place to reduce delays, especially in my constituency of Mayo, in processing probate applications?

I thank the Minister of State for his response but must highlight that, from what I have witnessed, delays can be from 11 to 12 weeks for some personal applications in Castlebar. The probate officer retired last October and was replaced only in the past few weeks. Therefore, there are genuine concerns. The matter is causing considerable stress among solicitors and their clients, who are waiting for weeks on end to have applications processed. I ask that we be swifter in resourcing our public appointments system to …

I want to address a deeply concerning situation affecting Mayo under the Housing for All programme. We find ourselves still in a perplexing predicament where we have no targets set for affordable housing schemes for the county. Recently, the local authority undertook an external affordability exercise for Westport, which resulted in the Department's approval of 13 affordable housing units in the area. During this exercise, it became apparent a staggering 775 households had expressed sincere interest in acquiring an…

I wish to bring to the attention of the Taoiseach a response I received from the chief superintendent for the Mayo, Roscommon and Longford division regarding concerns I raised in respect of the lack of a senior ranking officer at superintendent level at the divisional headquarters in Castlebar Garda station. The response I received lacks credibility and is inconsistent with the presence of superintendents in other divisional headquarters across the county. Castlebar, the former Mayo divisional headquarters, is now …

First, I welcome the Ballyheane Women’s Group from Castlebar, who are joining us today in Leinster House and who are in the Gallery. I raise a similar topic, which is that the leaving certificate examinations are approaching and the dates of when students will receive their results remain uncertain. The absence of a definite release date for leaving certificate results is causing significant anxiety among young students. I have been contacted by several students. Approximately 500 Irish students apply to higher edu…

I again emphasise the crucial need for balanced regional development throughout the country, specifically in areas such as Mayo, which I represent. It is imperative we continue to focus on delivery of high-quality jobs in rural communities to bring prosperity and opportunities to every corner of Ireland. While I welcome IDA Ireland's four-year driving recovery and sustainable growth strategy up to 2024, the proposed Castlebar advance building solution is one of three that has not yet completed the site selection pr…

I recently had the privilege of engaging with dedicated members of the seniors alert scheme who emphasised the importance of further enhancing the effectiveness of the scheme. Will the Minister consider allocating additional supports to the scheme by means of the community employment, CE, scheme or the rural social scheme, RSS?

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate the points he raised but it is important to acknowledge that participants on the CE, Tús and RSS schemes have diverse responsibilities within their communities. The Minister of State referred to ownership within the local stakeholders or sponsors. By increasing awareness of the seniors alert scheme and promoting better integration within the schemes to which reference was made, we can strengthen the capacity of local organisations to reach a larger number…

I again thank the Minister of State for his response. Personal interaction with older or vulnerable people who do not get as many visits as those who live in more clustered communities is of importance in this regard. The Minister of State referred to getting the word out but it is important to ensure people are visited regularly, similar to the service performed by Meals on Wheels and so on. That was very prominent in the early stages of the Covid pandemic, when people were being checked upon regularly. We can enh…

It is important and I express my gratitude to the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter as it holds significant importance in Mayo. The multi-annual rural water programme is a crucial initiative that focuses on improving water quality in rural areas and ensuring access to clean and reliable drinking water for rural communities. Looking ahead to the future, the multi-annual rural water programme for the period 2023 to 2025 is anticipated to bring substantial benefits to Mayo, especially through the…

I appreciate that the Minister of State is filling in for the Minister responsible for this area and I appreciate the response he read out. From discussions with Mayo County Council, I understand that both the local authority and many group water schemes are ready and waiting to act on requests for submissions for new water connections. The Minister of State outlined the additional €50 million measure for wastewater collection and treatment needs but the priority in this discussion is new connections. The lack of c…

It is crucial that we take immediate action to expand the role of pharmacists within our healthcare system. The challenges faced by many individuals accessing GP services are well documented and often prove to be a significant hurdle. The shortage of GPs, particularly in rural areas like my own, compounds this issue. To address the situation, I ask that the Government conduct a comprehensive review of legislation governing the role of pharmacists. In Northern Ireland, pharmacists have dual responsibility around adv…