Yes, and I am trying to do my best in my Department. As part of the new policy, I want other Ministers to do the same. I told the Deputy what I have been trying to do. I want to use this policy to hold the other Departments to account. It has to be a whole-of-government policy and that includes housing, health and education. Those are some of the key Departments from which we need strong commitments in this strategy. This will be first islands policy in 26 years, as all Members will be aware. I want to get it right…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing an islands policy in line with the programme for Government commitment and commitments made in Our Rural Future. Housing was one of the most pressing issues of concern that was raised by island communities during the public consultation process carried out by my Department. While housing supply and affordability are key issues across the country, many of the factors affecting housing supply are amplified on th…

From my experience, the only way to keep other Departments on their toes is to get concrete commitments from them. I think we are nearly there on this. As I said, I am going to meet the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage next week to discuss his Department's actions. As housing, planning and water sewerage services are big issues on the islands, we need strong commitments and actions from that Department. I reiterate that both of my Departments have shown my commitment to the island communities, wi…

Even though the report was specific to the west Cork islands, much of the findings are applicable to the majority of our islanders, relating to, for example, the quality of existing housing stock, the lack of availability of houses for sale or rent and the challenges of obtaining planning permission. I have spoken to Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann and all the islands have these challenges, which is why we want to try to address some of them. There are too many holiday homes and too many derelict houses. A lot of poi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 56, 72, 83, 102 and 114 together. The town centre first policy is a major, cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the vision in Our Rural Future for a thriving rural Ireland, which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and development. My Department co-chairs the national oversight and advisory group for the policy with the Department of Housing, Loc…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí. First of all, in response to Deputy Paul Donnelly, 22 town regeneration officers are appointed. There are four positions left to be filled. I expect those will be filled in the coming weeks. Second, we have a national oversight and advisory group for town centre first and it is due to meet later this month. At this meeting, the town centre first national office will outline progress to date on its work programme for the year. I will keep an eye on it to make sure that they are mov…

My Department works very closely with the local authorities. We need them to work with us to deliver these projects locally because they are consulting with local communities and they know what they need on the ground. Only last week, my senior officials met with the director of services with responsibility for the implementation of some of the funds from my Department. It is in constant contact to see where there might be issues that we can address. It is a two-way process, let me put it that way, and we will cont…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 110 together. The rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland. The fund is central to achieving the objectives and key deliverables of Our Rural Future, the Government's five-year policy for rural Ireland. At the heart of Our Rural Future is a commitment to revitalising towns and villages across rural Ireland, making them more attractive places to liv…

To clarify something, there has been no downgrading of the north and western region by the European Commission from being a region in transition. This 2018 designation is based on GDP per capita in the region and has been used to calculate European funding allocations for 2021 to 2027. Separately, the European Parliament's committee on regional development categorised the north and west region as a lagging region using a range of other data such as productivity, education and skills. They are two completely differe…

Plus they said they could not spend it.

Meath could not spend it.

It is a €1 billion fund.

Deputy Tóibín would want to get up now and go around the country, even around County Meath where he lives. I am going there in the next few weeks. There is a new library and cultural centre in Trim.

There is a new community hub in Enfield and many remote working hubs that allow people to live and work in their communities. Deputy English is a big supporter of those projects. I will visit them shortly. They are making a difference. I am going around rural areas and talking to people. I can tell the Deputy that if he had been with me in Abbeyshrule, County Longford, last week, he would have seen how appreciative communities are that we are providing funding to allow them realise their vision and ambition for the…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. In late 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was tasked with leading a cross-government review of legislation regarding dogs. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I held a meeting in early January and asked officials to convene a working group on the issue. The terms of reference of the group are published on gov.ie . The working group examined issues related to dog control and made a number of recommendations for action. The report of the group was ap…

The Deputy is correct; sometimes the training means training the dog owners. They would want to be under control sometimes too. If they are treated properly and well, dogs are a wonderful companion for anybody. We all have our own dogs of whom we are very fond. However, not to take care of dogs and let them out of control and allow them to worry sheep or chase after livestock is irresponsible. We are going to have a media campaign around responsible dog ownership. We will look also at the recommendations of the joi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 60 together. The ORIS is funded by my Department under Our Rural Future. The scheme provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways throughout rural Ireland. The scheme is central to embracing Ireland outdoors, the new national outdoor recreation strategy, which is set to shape the future of outdoor recreation over the next five years. The strategy will ensure there is a joined-up and …

If the Deputy had said Kerry and Cork county councils were not working together I might have understood but there is no excuse for two Cork local authorities not working together. The Deputy should tell them to work together and we will work with them if they work together. These boundaries would do your head in. These schemes are community-led. During the Covid pandemic, as we all know, we had to stay within 5 km and we suddenly discovered walkways that needed a bit of work but which we never knew existed. We were…

There is time. I will be quick.