Apprenticeship Programmes
1. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress being made with regard to the current challenges in the apprenticeship system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14864/25]
I thank the Minister for taking my question this morning. The apprenticeship system is unfit for purpose and has been for several years now. What measures does the Minister intend to introduce to address the problems faced by apprentices and the system more generally? These have resulted in the system failing to produce qualified tradespeople at a pace that meets demand. These problems have plagued the system and previous Ministers have failed to address them. What reassurance will the Minister give us that they will be addressed during the Minister's term in office?
I thank the Deputy for her question. At the outset, I want to challenge the characterisation of "unfit for purpose". That is a strong phrase and is not one that was reflected in the parliamentary question as tabled. I do not believe that is true or fair to the system. There have been backlogs. Those backlogs are being worked through, for sure.
For context, there has been a strong growth in demand for craft apprenticeships in recent years, which reflects a booming construction sector, with yearly craft registrations rising by 34% from 5,300 in 2019 to 7,100 in 2024. Analysis conducted in the summer of 2023 showed that apprenticeship training capacity was indeed insufficient to meet that growing demand. I absolutely acknowledge this but I differ from the Deputy in that action was taken quickly on foot of that. To alleviate the growing backlog of apprentices who were waiting six months or longer for phase 2 off-the-job training in the education and training boards, ETBs, a backlog that had been exacerbated by the pandemic and the many workshop closures in the prior two years, a priority response was established by the National Apprenticeship Office, NAO, in November 2023. It was problem identified, problem diagnosed and problem addressed.
The implementation of this plan, to increase apprenticeship places and accelerate throughput in the system and increase capacity, was overseen in action by my Department. To successfully remedy the issue, significant resources were expended in the apprenticeship system and committed to it. Additional funding of €67 million in budget 2024 and an additional €77 million in budget 2025 was targeted at apprenticeship delivery. In addition, a targeted national recruitment campaign was launched in late 2023. This led to the recruitment and the introduction of 110 additional apprentice instructors. The combination of those moves, including the additional funding, the 110 instructors hired, and another 80 instructors converted from fixed-term to permanent contracts, were all measures that supported addressing the backlog.
While I agree that measures have been made into the phase 2, will this not push the backlog back into phases 4 and 6? We have a drop out rate of 3,400. Have they been included in the Minister's figures as well? When that number of people drops out, it shows that it is unfit for purpose.
The apprenticeship system is essential to problems the Government has yet to address. Consider the issue of housing. Skilled apprentices who are needed here to work on housing and other essential projects for the future are emigrating abroad to do their apprenticeships. Are those figures included? They tell us that they have no choice but to go abroad. Apprenticeships here are supposed to take four years but in reality they can take up to six years. This also leads to the system being unfit for purpose. This leaves apprentices working for extra years, sometimes at pay that is below minimum wage. There is a serious shortage of places for them to complete the classroom portion of the training.
Let us consider the result of the measures I spoke about, the additional €67 million, the subsequent €77 million, the additional 110 instructors and the 80 instructors converted onto different types of contracts bringing an additional 190 instructors into the system. This has meant that craft training places have increased by 43%. That brought places from 5,600 at the end of 2023 when the backlog was identified to more than 8,000 places in 2025, that is, in the current year. The Deputy mentioned people waiting for periods. The number of craft apprentices now waiting for more than six months for the phase 2 off-the-job training has actually fallen by almost 80%, from 5,319 in October 2023 to 1,140 in February 2025. That is a decrease of some 5,500 to roughly just over 1,000. That is a significant 80% drop. I do want to give some credit to the system for working through that.
With regard to people dropping out I will have to interrogate those figures and see the situation there. We are in a period of full employment in a burgeoning economy and people have many options. Some may choose to pursue other options at that stage.
How many of those in these figures are actually finishing? There are 3,376 who failed to finish because they are not getting paid enough. The programme for Government states that the Government would "Ensure a skilled labour force by providing practical support for on-the-job training and apprenticeship schemes and consider additional measures". Has that process begun? At what stage is the process and what additional measures are currently under consideration? The Government also promised additional funding for apprenticeship training institutions. Will the Minister tell us how much funding is being allocated and when it will be available? The programme for Government further commits to target 12,500 new apprenticeships annually by 2030 and to introduce a new five-year apprenticeship action programme for 2026 to 2030. Has that commenced? Will the Minister outline the specific target numbers for each of the intervening years?
I thank the Deputy. A review is ongoing across the whole sector. There are many different types of apprenticeships now. There are the craft apprenticeships, which are related to construction skills, there are climate skills and apprenticeships for accounting technicians and digital marketing - and my Department has a number of staff working in that apprenticeship - so it is very much a broader and more diverse sector and spectrum that might traditionally have been the case. They all play important roles. With regard to suggestions, I invite the Deputy to put forward suggestions. I am all ears. I am a new Minister. I am here to work with colleagues around the House so if the Deputy has any suggestions for improvement, I am open to hearing them. I look forward to that debate, and from all colleagues in the House going forward.
Third Level Fees
2. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science following the reduction to higher education student fees, if he will provide assurance that student fees will not rise again in the future; if he is considering fully abolishing further and higher education student fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14941/25]
5. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for the contributory fee; if he will maintain the cut in the fee, as has been set out in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14866/25]
I have a suggestion for the Minister. It is to abolish all fees for third level and for apprenticeships. We have critical shortages in skills across our economy and across our society. It makes no sense to have fees. My question today particularly relates to the Union of Students in Ireland's concerns that not only is the Government not going to abolish fees, which it should, but it is actually thinking of getting rid of the once-off reduction of €1,000, which was brought in over the last years. The Minister commented to that effect recently. Will the Minister give us an assurance that this will not happen and that we will move in the other direction?
Minister.
I believe there is another question.
Should I ask my question or speak to it?
I apologise, it is a group question so only one speaker asks a question. The Deputy will get a chance to respond.
Yes, the Minister comes in and then Deputy McGettigan gets to respond.
Yes, that is fine.
It is unusual for Priority Questions to be grouped.
I do not mind taking them separately either. I am in the hands of the Acting Chair.
The Minister has four minutes.
I appreciate that.
The Deputies will both be coming in individually anyway.
It is unusual for Priority Questions to be grouped.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 5 together.
The programme for Government does indeed commit to reducing the student contribution in a financially sustainable manner over the lifetime of the Government. As part of the cost-of-living packages over the last three budgets the student contribution was reduced by €1,000 per annum on a temporary basis at a net cost of circa €99 million per annum. These measures were in response to particular cost-of-living challenges arising at the time and were not intended to be a permanent solution.
It is worth extrapolating the figures in totality. A €1,000 reduction of the type we saw during the cost-of-living measures equates to €99 million. A €2,000 reduction would equate to €200 million, and the full abolition, which the Deputy calls for, would equate to €300 million per annum. To extrapolate that over the term of the Government that is €1.5 billion. These are significant figures. I have an open mind on the Deputies' suggestions but I am sure the Deputies will agree that there are other competing priorities chasing those same scarce resources.
In considering how we can continue to address financial burdens for students and their families in a long-term, sustainable way, I am conscious of the opportunity costs and trade-offs associated with any policy option. We have to allocate resources in the fairest, most effective way possible. Given the reality of finite resources, allocations should be made in a targeted way to ensure those students most in need will be supported.
It is important to state that many students and their families do not pay the student contribution because their costs are covered by SUSI grants. In the last academic year, over 43,000 students had their full contribution paid for through SUSI, over 7,600 students received a 50% contribution, and a further 16,000 students had a €500 reduction in the student contribution fee. This means that 66,600 students in total, or almost half of all students, had the student contribution fee paid in full or in part by the State. In addition to those supports, my Department also paid out €368 million in the academic year in question as part of a free fees initiative, which benefited all eligible students progressing through third level, amounting to some 143,000. All benefited from fee supports from the State, regardless of means, under the free fees scheme.
Notwithstanding these figures, which are important to put on the record to inform the debate, no decisions have been made and we are still early in the budget process. I am very much open to views and stakeholder feedback and I am inviting interested parties to a cost-of-education event that I intend to hold and chair next week. I will be hearing from students, representatives of the student population, access officers, student services employees, people who work with students on a day-to-day basis, advocacy organisations and those who advocate for under-represented students in education and minorities, and policymakers. My aim is to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to have their say to inform the debate and my policy formulation on the cost-of-education issues. Following the event, I intend to publish an options paper, which will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options identified, with the overall goal of reducing the cost of higher education. This will inform decisions on budget 2026. I look forward to the engagement and the policy discussion that will inevitably follow.
Yeah, right. Is the Minister considering getting rid of the temporary reduction in fees or not? He should just tell us straight. He should not get rid of it. Doing so is outrageous and he should be going in the opposite direction. Why? There is now a 15% dropout rate among undergraduates. Five thousand drop out in first year, representing an increase in recent times up to 12% from 9%. What government could stand over that when we have shortages in the construction profession, trades, the healthcare sector and industry? There is nowhere without a shortage of skills. It is insane to put financial and other barriers in the way of people. Students are dropping out not only because of fees but also because of financial hardship. The cost-of-living impact on families is clearly a factor. There are also the costs of accommodation and travel, stress and mental health pressure, but the financial aspect is big.
It would cost €255 million to get rid of fees and €100 million to get rid of postgraduate fees, and a fraction of that to get rid of apprenticeship costs, which we discussed earlier. It would be money well invested in people we need to make our society function.
The Minister will have to excuse my scepticism. He is bamboozling me with figures on this. The programme for Government commits to continuing to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government. What the Minister is saying here falls far short of the commitment to reduce the fees to zero. There is no timeline for this or detail on the increments. Higher education is a public good and those who avail of it contribute immeasurably to society. As already said, people are put to the pins of their collars trying to pay for this. Some parents have more than one child going to college and cannot afford to send them. They must decide whether to send both or none. This is very unfair on them. Other parts of the economy also require newly skilled graduates. There is increasing use of modern methods of construction and housing delivery and the programme for Government commits the Minister to promoting these. Graduates add value to our economy and society and must be assisted if they are to achieve their full potential. Putting financial obstacles in their way is short-sighted and counter-productive.
Deputy Boyd Barrett asked about the temporary reduction. It was a temporary reduction; that is the point. It is important that we put it on a more sustainable, long-lived, permanent track, and that is part of the consultation I intend to hold with students, student bodies, stakeholders and universities to understand what would be a more holistic, sustainable formula to meet the cost of education for students and their families.
I appreciate that Deputy McGettigan said I am bamboozling her with figures, but 66,600 students already receive a student contribution from the State, in full or in part, towards the student contribution, in addition to the 143,000 students who have their fees, apart from the student contribution, paid in full. There are very few undergraduates who do not have their fees paid by the State. There are a couple of reasons they would not be paid. In this regard, a student may be doing a second degree course or may come from outside this State. There are a couple of technical categories but the vast majority of undergraduate students have their fees paid in full by the State. In addition, the student contribution fee, which is a separate charge for one's course, is met in almost half of cases in full or in part by the State.
I absolutely understand that there are those who are put to the pins of their collars, as Deputy McGettigan put it. I know some and engage with them in my constituency and in my normal business. What I want to understand is why they are not eligible for SUSI grants and the existing supports. There are existing supports. If there are gaps in the system, these are exactly what I want to identify in the consultation. If the eligibility thresholds need to be examined, bars need to be widened or gaps need to be addressed, this should be done.
I am unconvinced by the concept of having no means test or a free-for-all, based on our saying we will have universal abolition. I do not know whether Deputy Boyd Barrett agrees with me. The programme for Government refers to a sustained reduction in a financially sustainable way, not about abolition. Deputy McGettigan referred to a reduction to zero. That would be abolition. That is not mentioned in the programme for Government. I want to support students and their families and make education accessible. That is why we are paying the fees for 143,000 students and supporting 66,600 students in part or in full with the student contribution fee. However, I am open to the conversation on how we can target those who really need the support.
If 5,000 undergraduates dropping out each year does not concern the Minister, he really needs to rethink his being the Minister for higher education. It is obvious that we have an urgent problem affecting our entire economy and society owing to the lack of skilled people, as well as the mental health issues and all the stress put on the students who drop out and their families. I suspect there is a financial reason. Every year, the most profitable multinational corporations get €800 million in research and development tax credits. These are companies that are already making astonishing profits. I suggest that the Minister redirect some of this tax credit money towards getting rid of fees for students, postgraduates and apprentices. That would benefit our society a hell of a lot more and be a lot better for the sustainability of our economy and society. This is a simple suggestion on how to pay.
Free fees worked in secondary schools and has helped Ireland greatly. There are huge issues with the SUSI grant. People who are trying to prove they are separate from their parents in order to get the SUSI grant are not getting it. There is an issue with the way in which SUSI considers people's circumstances. If you were working two years ago, SUSI will look at your income at that time, not at the past year, in which you might have lost your job and did not have an income to pay for the fees. Education is a fundamental right. Charging parents a contribution fee discourages students from accessing higher education, particularly those who may struggle to afford the fee. As already stated, there are issues with the SUSI grant.
Many students already face financial hardship, forcing some to take on loans or part-time jobs, and this affects their academic performance. If institutions require additional funding to maintain or improve academic quality, this should be the responsibility of the Government, not the students.
I thank the Deputies. Deputy Boyd Barrett should note that I am of course concerned about students dropping out. One or five is too many, never mind 5,000. I would like to understand the reasons. Some analysis would be helpful and I will look into this. I understand that meeting the cost of college has never been easy. I also understand that if the supports, which are abundant in the system and paid for by the State, are not reaching those most in need, something is going wrong. I am not convinced that flat abolition or having free frees, or whatever you want to call the arrangement, is the answer. This would represent a use of scarce resources that could perhaps be more targeted at those in need. I believe in the progressive policy "To each according to their needs", not "To each, everything", so we have to be prudent and progressive in how we manage the allocations.
I am surprised that Deputy Boyd Barrett takes aim at the research and development tax credit.
It is a really useful measure and that research and development support is exactly the kind of thing we should be encouraging. We all know about global headwinds, changing economic tides, trade tariffs and so forth. We have talent, research and development and innovation in this country and that is what has fuelled the enterprise model we have pursued since the sixties and seventies, which has successfully widened the public good by widening the resources available to the public good.
All the other things we want to do in terms of education, housing and health are supported through that type of revenue because that is the economic model we support and subscribe to and that creates the resources. Private enterprise creates the public good, which can then be distributed to do all the things we want to do in this Chamber on a daily basis. I am a big supporter of that model.
Third Level Reform
3. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to close the funding deficit in the university sector, first identified in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14865/25]
Under the austerity measures introduced after the economic crash, funding to third level institutions was cut. Universities were asked to do more with less money. To make up the funding shortfall, a student contribution was introduced. Austerity is supposedly over and we were promised these cuts would be reversed but this has not happened. What measures does the Minister intend to introduce to close the funding deficit and when will they be enacted?
The Cassells report was published a number of years ago and that was superseded by the Funding the Future framework. That was published in May 2022 and outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employees and wider society. The framework identified a figure of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes. An additional €307 million was identified as optimal to progress the system.
Over a number of years, additional core funding is being prioritised through the Estimates process in order to deliver on the increased level of funding identified in this framework and to provide enhanced system capacity to respond to national priorities. The enhanced higher education system performance to be delivered in return for increased investment is to be aligned to strategic priorities defined in that framework, alongside parallel efforts to address the cost of education as a barrier to participation, which we discussed in the last question.
Over the three budgets since the publication of that strategy, an additional €164.4 million has been secured in Exchequer and employer funding, with a commitment to deliver a further €100 million by 2030 from the National Training Fund. The €164.4 million includes €58.7 million that was secured in the last budget - budget 2025 - for Funding the Future. That additional €58.7 million will create space for higher education institutions to increase staffing and capacity, enable a greater alignment of provision with priority skills needs and facilitate the further development of tertiary programmes.
With Government colleagues and elsewhere, I will continue to advocate for continued Exchequer investment in future Estimates processes to deliver on priority commitments, including priorities such as healthcare places, therapy places and tertiary programmes.
I welcome that the Minister said he will try his best to get this but this €307 million deficit was first raised in 2016. The Irish Universities Association, IUA, has said it will not fund pay increases. Has this been sorted? That also lends to this deficit. The austerity programme introduced in the State punished ordinary people and bailed out the banks and the bondholders, and it caused increasing hardship for many of the most vulnerable of our citizens. It is incredible that it is still causing hardship today.
The first Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science promised to reverse the cuts and address the funding gap. That was Simon Harris, and there have been two other Ministers with this portfolio since and nothing has been done. We have an ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the State and yet, hard-pressed parents are asked to shell out for student contributions to try to give their children a good education. Universities have, in some cases, increased the cost of student accommodation to try to bring in funds. This puts further economic strain on students and their parents.
On the Deputy's comment about the two other Ministers since, there have been three Ministers in the past five years since this Department was created. The Tánaiste served for four of those years, the then Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, served for six months and I have been here for two months. Give us a chance and let us see where we are. I will certainly make my best efforts, as the Deputy acknowledged.
The figure has been met. The gap of €307 million was identified and there was the Cassells report which I was there for. I met the author of it at the time. I contributed to that report as a then Opposition TD and the Funding the Future framework brings that up to date. That figure of €307 million has been identified but that has been incrementally brought down. There has been €164 million of investment to date, with a further €100 million to follow in this Government term.
That is a programme for Government commitment. That is one I absolutely intend to honour and I will have those discussions as part of the budget Estimates process. Indeed, I would like the Deputy's support on that because I presume she will be participating in the relevant committee at the time. That is something that is very much a goal of this Government.
I ask again about the pay increases that are not being funded. That is a big issue and while I welcome increased investment in higher education, there is still that deficit to be filled. More funding does not necessarily mean better outcomes if inefficiencies persist, as students already contribute significantly through fees, so there is a clear need for the Minister to assess the needs of higher education. I acknowledge the Minister has said he is committed to doing so and I look forward to seeing great advances in third level institutions as education is the key to our future.
The Deputy mentioned more funding does not necessarily lead to greater outcomes. That is why it is all the more important it is delivered in a strategic way and, as I said in my first response, the Funding the Future framework does have that at its core - to align funding with enhanced performance, strategic reforms and quality of outcomes. I agree with the Deputy and that is why we are doing it in a targeted, measured, managed fashion.
With regard to the pay awards, that is a slightly separate issue. Funding in respect of the public sector pay awards is separately provided for as part of the annual budgetary process.
It is not. Has it been?
There was a pay agreement entered into between Government and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions last year and in the Revised Estimates, an amount of €24.9 million was provided in the base for the higher education sector in anticipation of that pay deal being agreed. That is a slightly separate track. I appreciate there are competing priorities, as always.
That highlights the difficulty of any report, be it Cassells or Funding the Future, in anticipating and planning for higher education growth and for core funding to increase because there are always other competing demands and there are emerging issues such as pay disputes and pay awards that can follow. There is then a question of whether that comes from core funding, whether it is additional funding or supplementary funding or how we make that jigsaw complete. That is part of the ongoing challenge.
Third Level Education
4. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the bachelor of veterinary medicine will be delivered in Atlantic Technological University, formerly Mountbellew Agricultural College, Galway, in September 2025, as announced by his predecessor; if not, when this course will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14918/25]
First, I want to wish the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, well as I did not formally do it. For a number of years, I have lobbied about veterinary colleges and I welcome the announcement where Letterkenny and Mountbellew was going to be one of them and Carlow-Kilkenny and Waterford was going to be the other.
My understanding was this was going to kick off in September 2025. I have heard it could be September 2026. Can the Minister clarify what is going to happen with that and why it has been delayed?
I thank the Deputy for his kinds words to me and to the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We both look forward to serving this Department as a team and bettering the sector.
With regard to the Deputy's question, I am very interested in this area myself. I have made inquiries on it since I assumed the post. As the Deputy is probably aware, the HEA ran an expression of interest process in October 2022 to assess the capacity for expansion in key disciplines including veterinary medicine. Following the completion of the report and consultation with the Department of agriculture at the time, my Department directed the HEA to provide recommendations for the expansion of veterinary medicine education, having regard to competition, balanced regional provision and diversity of approaches in delivery.
The HEA recommended the proposed programmes in Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and South East Technological University, SETU, be advanced. It is expected these programmes will have an annual intake of 80 additional veterinary students, which nearly doubles the current intake. My predecessor, and the then Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue, accepted that recommendation at the time and jointly announced the planned expansion at the ploughing championships last year. Until that point, UCD was the sole provider of veterinary education in the State. The delivery of a veterinary medicine programme is complex. It involves specialist academic staff, appropriate facilities, laboratory equipment, curriculum development and accreditation is key as well. We can train vets but they need to have their granted accreditation to go out into the field. That programme validation is important as well.
The original estimated timeline for the ATU bachelor of veterinary medicine programme was estimated by the university to extend until September 2025. It recently released a statement that additional time would be necessary for them to validate the programme and to complete infrastructural development before the programme could open for application.
I have visited ATU and discussed this with its executive. The Deputy's question is on ATU but I have also visited SETU and had the same conservation with its executive because I am very keen that the veterinary programme should occur quickly. We need it. A significant number of students are studying in Poland and outside the State. The veterinary college in UCD has 90 students. That is inadequate. We need these additional 80 places but I am told by the colleges it will not be happening this year and they are saying it will be September 2026. I advise the Deputy of that.
There are probably 200 youngsters out of the country at the moment because UCD is not fit to take the numbers who are looking for this. I understand that there is a lot of setting up to it, but the problem is, as the Minister knows in his position, that a delay of three or four months does not work in veterinary or in college because if it is not ready for September 2025, it will not start until September 2026. I know the Minister is only new in his portfolio. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is from this area. He represents Carlow-Kilkenny. They are looking to make sure there is provision in that area, but it would be a great development to have a veterinary college in our area, in the west of Ireland. It would help Mountbellew because there was an agricultural college there. It would also help the college in Letterkenny and places like that where they will be doing the study part of this. I ask the Minister to focus on this and to deliver this for those two areas because it is crucial.
I completely agree with the Deputy. My constituency is in neither catchment but is an agricultural constituency. It is an equine constituency. County Kildare is the home of the horses. I know many people who are interested in these courses and who tell me about the ongoing demand, the need for placements and the need for vets, including large animal vets. Small practice is its own area, of course, but we need people out on the farm and in large animal practice. As regards these programmes, with Kildalton SETU and Mountbellew in ATU, the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, is a very strong supporter of the programme as well. We have met on it and discussed it, including on site in ATU when we both visited there recently. I give the Deputy my commitment that this will be followed through. The colleges are now saying September 2026. I have no reason to doubt that. It is probably helpful that they are being candid rather than just spinning a wheel for this September if they know at this stage they will not make that. They are being realistic about their target date but I will hold them to it.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I will follow the matter up with him as the months go by.
Income Inequality
73. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to address economic and social inequality in 2025 in urban and rural areas; the initiatives he will undertake within his Department; and if he plans to progress funding for same. [14510/25]
My question, as is my form, is very straightforward. Will the Minister outline the plans that he has to address the economic and social inequality in 2025 in both urban and rural areas? What specific initiatives will he progress? If he could confine it to this year, I would be interested to know the scale of the ambition for the Department in terms of deliverables, KPIs and any indicators or targets that will be set.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a ceist.
Working to address economic and social inequality in urban and rural areas is a core part of the work of our Department. The Department’s budget for 2025 is €472 million. Of this, €212 million is allocated to the rural development programme, supporting our rural areas to thrive socially and economically. The funding supports a wide range of schemes that can help the rural economy and promote social inclusion. These schemes include the rural regeneration and development fund, the LEADER programme, town and village renewal agus an coiste CLÁR. The remaining €260 million is allocated to the community development area, supporting the economic and social development of communities in both rural and urban areas.
The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and the community services programme, CSP, are key programmes within the community development area. SICAP is currently Ireland’s primary social inclusion funding intervention, and is designed to help those individuals in the greatest need to access supports and to enable participation in communities. The CSP provides employment opportunities for people in disadvantaged areas, and those most distant from the labour market, while also ensuring the provision of vital community services throughout the country. Work by our Department in the areas of social enterprise and social innovation will also help address inequality in our communities. I am due to answer a question later on social enterprise in particular.
My Department works closely with local authorities, local development companies and community organisations in delivering on these social inclusion measures. My Department regularly engages with rural and urban stakeholders to identify issues. This engagement is ongoing, and we are currently developing successor policies to the Our Rural Future and Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities strategies. In the whole area of urban intervention, however, it is an area on which the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are both focused. We want to work with Deputy O'Reilly and those across the House. It is an area on which we are spending a lot of money, but I am not convinced that we are getting the kind of returns we need. I want to progress that area a lot, not just in 2025, but during the lifetime of this Government.
I thank the Minister. I do not want to be argumentative, and I am absolutely committed to working across the House to ensure that we address issues regarding inequality. While I thanked the Minister for his reply, there were no specifics in it and this is where my issue is. What we need to see is, for example, a target for the number of community centres. We all know that a community centre, a physical place where a community can come together - a bricks-and-mortar building - can be the driving force in a community in order for it to start combatting inequality within its own area. People need help, however.
Unfortunately, while the Minister's answer detailed some top-line figures, he did not give any specifics in terms of targets, such as targets for the number of community centres that will be opened or targets for how the Government will address the inequality. We know there is massive inequality in both urban and rural Ireland. What we do not know is how the Government is going to address it. I understand the SICAP programme and the other programme, and they are working away, but is there anything specific in terms of deliverables for 2025 that the Minister has set for his Department and other organisations to deliver?
To give the Deputy an example regarding the community services programme, we are working with various companies around the country. We are contributing wage contribution to fund more than 2,000 positions in 430 community organisations. With regard to community centres, we have just finalised funding announcements for community centre refurbishments. That was community-led, rather than us setting a target, and that was important. We have just funded €22 million for proposals that came from across the country for specific needs and specific communities. I am worried, that if we set a target, the communities' response will not be a community-led response, whereas this has been driven from the community up regarding the specific service provided by the specific centre. We saw recently during Storm Éowyn how some centres were able to stand up. Therefore, my focus on community centre funding is how we continue to make sure they provide a specific need in the specific community.
Similarly, as we relaunch LEADER in 2025, it is community-focused and community-led. What I want to do is strengthen the structures to enable a community-led response in association with a partnership with the Department. It has to be community-led, however.
This is where we might have a small disagreement, because I absolutely agree with the Minister that it has to be community-led, but setting the targets will not interfere with that in any way, shape or form. The setting of targets actually gives a focus. The Minister was not doing the communities any favours when he suggested that they could work not to a deadline or a target because they can. There is quite an amount of disillusionment with regard to the commitment that this Government has to regeneration, particularly in rural Ireland. The nature of the fabric was actually exposed during Storm Éowyn. As the Minister mentioned, some communities were able to be very resilient because they had bricks-and-mortar facilities and places to go, and others that had the bricks-and-mortar facilities were not suitable. Even if the Minister said that the target was to find those areas that could not step up during Storm Éowyn and begin with them, failure to set a target is a mistake because by setting targets, deadlines are driven and delivery is ensured.
To build on the previous figures regarding SICAP, we delivered funding of approximately €51 million, which supported 2,500 community groups and 27,000 individuals in 2024. I have already spoken about the community services programme. As LEADER relaunches this year, 46,000 people have completed LEADER-funded training, which allowed 16,000 jobs to be sustained in rural areas. We provided €7.5 million to the Dublin north-east inner city, NEIC, programme, with a particular focus on it being led from within the community. We have also provided €3 million in the empowering communities programme. I want to ensure that they continue to work, and working with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, we will ensure they are focused. I am more than happy to discuss what a target might look like in that context.
Rural Schemes
74. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the ongoing plans within his Department that exist to address the continuing challenges that communities in rural areas face with the cost of and access to transport services; if it will be included in a new future development strategy for rural Ireland to replace Our Rural Future; his plans for such a new strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14916/25]
I ask the Minister and Minister of State about the ongoing plans in the Department about the continuing challenges facing communities in rural areas such as the cost of and in accessing transport services. Are those plans are included in new future development for Our Rural Future, as presented by the Government? Will the Minister of State make a statement on the matter?
I thank Deputy Wall for the question and congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him again as we did in Seanad Éireann. He has always been a champion of transport and the Kildare-Dublin axis, and I look forward to working with him in that regard.
Our Rural Future, Ireland's national rural development policy, was launched in 2021 following an extensive period of consultation that ensured the policy prioritised responses to the needs identified by stakeholders and the public. Prominent among these was access to public transport services in rural areas, particularly among our young people and vulnerable members of our community or those at risk of social isolation. Measures addressing this issue were a key component of Our Rural Future and reflected the Government's strong commitment to improving rural transport connectivity.
The Department of Transport's Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan has delivered real and lasting benefits to rural communities in recent years. For example, more than 145 service improvements have been introduced since 2022, meaning approximately 600,000 people now have access to new or enhanced bus services. Reduced fare initiatives have also been introduced, particularly for young people, and the 90-minute fare has been extended to the end of 2025.
These improvements have been welcomed across rural Ireland but we understand there is more to be done. Our most recent engagements with rural citizens suggest that transport services remain among the biggest issues for these communities. That is probably why Government decided to make me the first Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for rural transport. The programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new our rural future policy from 2026. I am pleased to say that the process of developing this next phase of rural policy has already begun. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, recently launched an online survey to support the development of the new policy. Further stages of public consultation will follow over the coming months, which the Minister, Deputy Calleary, will outline in due course. I have no doubt that, following these engagements, our next rural future policy will again reflect the importance of access to transport services to rural communities. I look forward to working with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to ensure that the new rural development policy from next year will build on the progress we have made to date under Our Rural Future.
I thank the Minister of State for coming in today and for his kind words. I look forward to working with him as we did previously in the Seanad. I welcome that Deputy Buttimer is the new Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, because one of the issues we discussed before was the M7, which was unfortunately a car park again this morning. I hope we can develop that idea.
An Indecon report on rural transport was written in the past year. I believe it is with the Minister of State at the moment. I would like to know the status of that. I put on the record again the difference that Local Link makes. My Kildare-south Dublin Local Link is a tremendous service. It has been a life-changer for many people. There are issues with developing and linking it, particularly with school transport. I believe that Local Link and school transport should act together and provide that service for those who are living in rural Ireland and the villages that need it. Will the Minister of State comment on that in his reply?
I will come back to the Deputy on the Indecon report. I do not have that information to hand. He is right about the M7 and the N40 in Cork. There is a need for all stakeholders to engage properly to see how we can make that a better thoroughfare for motorists and all road users. As the Deputy said, supporting rural Ireland is a priority for Government. Over the last number of years, we have seen 30 projects in the rural development fund for 2024, with €164 million. There was €20 million for 82 town and village renewal scheme projects in April last year. There is €100 million, as the Minister said, in the community recognition fund. There is €109 million in the community centre investment fund. Money is being expended in rural Ireland. As we have said already, it is about connectivity and about ensuring that people have access to travel. We have reduced fares and made public transport accessible. I met the former Minister, Alan Dukes, about Kildare transport. It is a wonderful scheme. I look forward to working with Deputy Wall and others. That scheme is probably an exemplar for other schemes across the country. I will come back to the Deputy about the Indecon report.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I think it is important to mention a few Local Link services. The 883 service has been a game-changer for many people in my home town, Athy. It links them in and allows them to get employment in the likes of Kildare Village and Newbridge. It is a game-changer and it should be expanded. One of the issues is for the village of Nurney, which does not have a Sunday service, because that link has no Sunday service. That will be a game-changer for villages that have been isolated, as the Minister of State said, and need the links. The Government has expanded the 880 service and it has made a difference. There is no doubt, throughout rural Ireland, that Local Link is making a difference. School transport and seven-day Local Link services are badly needed. I ask the Minister of State to go back and look at this once again.
I mentioned the village of Suncroft before. We have been waiting on a service there. I am working with the local manager, Alan Kerry, to provide that service. The village of Suncroft has no direct services to the towns of Kildare and Newbridge. It is badly needed. I will continue to work with the NTA. The Minister of State might speak to the local services and the NTA about the village of Suncroft. I appreciate the Minister of State's replies.
I raise the 215 Blarney bus. The 215 Blarney bus goes from Mahon Point to Blarney. The Minister of State can appreciate it is coming from Mahon Point and through the city, so the timing is quite difficult. I want to make the Minister of State aware of it. I know he will not have any answers on that. Will he look into it?
I will respond to Deputy Wall first. As he know, Connecting Ireland's rural mobility plan has been a huge success, with 145 new or enhanced services since it began. A total of 240 towns and villages have been connected with, for example, 61 connections to healthcare facilities, 41 higher education facilities and 71 rail services. A total of 600,000 people have access to new and enhanced bus services. In Deputy Wall's county, Kildare, with his constituency being Kildare South, we have seen increased Local Link services, including between Athy and Kilkenny since December last year, the Newbridge to Dunlavin and Kilcullen route which was enhanced in May last year, and since January last year, we have seven daily return services from Naas to Carlow. I take the Deputy's point about the area of Suncroft. I will work with him and Local Link. As I said, I met Alan Dukes recently. It is a phenomenal service, providing great access for people.
Deputy Kenny raised the issue of the 215 Blarney route. It has been raised before. Passengers numbers have increased exponentially on the route. We have spoken with Bus Éireann and the NTA about it. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on the Deputy's behalf on that.
For the information of Members present, we cannot take supplementary questions on priority questions. Apologies to Members.
I thank the Chair.
Departmental Policies
75. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his Department's plan to critically evaluate the outcomes of Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021–2025; and the extent to which this will inform the development of a new policy. [14861/25]
Ar dtús báire, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an mbeirt Airí. I congratulate the Ministers on their respective roles. As Deputy O'Reilly has said, both she and I, as their counterparts on this side of the House, will endeavour to co-operate with them and engage constructively with them, but it is also our role to hold them to account. Accountability is at the crux of my question. It relates to Our Rural Future and the rural development plan, which, as we know, is terminating this year. I note that public consultation has begun. What metrics will be used to inform the next development? Will there be an appraisal of the key deliverables in the last one?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta McGuinness as a bheannachtaí. Táim ag tnúth le hobair leis ar chúrsaí a bhaineann leis an Roinn seo agus leis an nGaeltacht. Our Rural Future was launched in 2021 and over its five year duration has provided vital investment and support, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people across rural Ireland. The programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new rural future policy from 2026. In order to ensure that the development of the new policy is informed by an independent evaluation of the current policy, my Department has commissioned an OECD review. This review will examine not just Our Rural Future, but will also focus on the rural policy framework more generally for Ireland. The review began in earnest under the former Minister, Heather Humphreys, last year and the OECD review group has now met with more than 500 officials and stakeholders across a variety of in-person and online engagements as part of its work.
The OECD is currently drafting a report based on this work, which will be published later this year and which I have no doubt will make a strong contribution to the development of the Our Rural Future policy. I look forward to engaging parties across the floor on that report. I also want to engage directly with the public and stakeholders on the new policy. A comprehensive public consultation process has been designed in this regard. The process started with an online survey which is open until Wednesday, 2 April. I encourage all Deputies to help to promote that. The survey findings will inform a series of in-person events that will take place across the country from May onwards, and there will also be an opportunity for parties to make submissions about the new policy later in the year. This level of consultation is designed to ensure that the experience of people living in our rural communities is absolutely central to the development of a successor policy programme.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an bhfreagra sin. I am glad that the OECD report is to be published. I think that will provide food for thought for everybody living and working in rural Ireland. From my conversations with people in rural Ireland and my own experience, I imagine the biggest result and theme that will emerge from the consultations, which will no doubt be reflected in the OECD report, will be the issue of housing, particularly in rural Ireland. One of the key deliverables is the regeneration and repopulation of rural Ireland and another is the aim to actively involve young people in rural development and rejuvenating rural Ireland, but that cannot happen when people cannot live in rural Ireland.
In communities all across this State, young people are leaving rural Ireland in their droves. They are leaving because there are not homes for them to live in.
I am anxious to get the views of younger people in rural areas. Part of the consultation will be specifically focused on them and getting them to engage with the review. Housing is a major issue. Táimid ag plé cúrsaí tithíochta i gcomhthéacs cúrsaí Gaeltachta freisin ach ní fadhb Ghaeltachta amháin í. Is fadhb í i ngach ceantar agus i ngach baile, rural agus urban. We will be looking at that.
The outgoing strategy has exceeded many expectations. We now have the biggest budget in the history of the State within the Department of €472 million, which is being spent in communities right across the country. I want to see what Our Rural Future looks like in 2026 - in housing but also in infrastructure and facilities. We are much more online now than we were in 2021. What do we need to do to promote that or do we need to consider what impact it is having? There are many areas such as climate and the impact of climate change on rural communities will have to be part of this policy document as well. I look forward to engaging in debate on it. What is most important is that we get out and about and debate these matters.
I welcome the Minister's comments, in particular about the importance of housing, infrastructure and facilities. The previous plan had a very significant focus on digital connectivity. That might have been a product of the time it was put together. The focus must now shift, as my colleague said earlier, with regard to bricks and mortar, and having facilities, homes and infrastructure so that people can live their lives in rural Ireland, raise their children there, and access public services. That must be the focus - be it GP services or the post office network. The Minister understands they are critically important to so many rural communities, as are school places and homes for people to live in.
We agree on a lot. I also point out that, as the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, has just said, the RRDF is helping in terms of building community revitalisation to assist in housing as well. We announced 30 RRDF projects last year, worth €164 million. A total of €20 million was spent under the town and village renewal scheme. That window is open again this year. We are looking at how we build infrastructure to encourage people. Under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the vacant properties grant is assisting in a lot of rural areas. I see houses opening up that have perhaps not been opened in my lifetime or at least for many decades. We will continue to promote that grant. We will see what changes need to be made to make it more flexible, to get people to revitalise existing properties. That, in turn, will support the post office, school, local facilities and local teams. It is all interconnected.
Community Development Projects
76. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to establish a dedicated grant scheme for the maintenance and upgrading of community playgrounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14526/25]
Will the Minister commit to funding, in a direct and integrated way through our councils, playground provision for towns and villages according to their population size and based on an assessment of existing facilities?
Midleton, for example, is a thriving town in east Cork, but our playground provision nowhere near meets the needs of a large and growing local population of young families. We have no skate park. These amenities are desperately needed. We must ensure a proportionate development of community amenities in line with residential development.
I thank Deputy Quaide for the question. There is no doubting the importance of playground facilities in communities. That is the reason my Department supports such facilities through the CLÁR programme, the local enhancement programme, the LEADER programme, the community recognition fund and the town and village renewal scheme.
The CLÁR programme provides funding for small-scale projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation. The programme provides funding for community recreation facilities and amenities, including playgrounds. We are announcing the 2025 programme in the coming weeks.
The LEADER programme provides support to rural communities under a range of themes, including rural infrastructure and social inclusion. For many years, LEADER has supported playgrounds once they are compatible with the local development strategy for the relevant LEADER area. LEADER is now open for applications in many areas.
The community recognition fund recognises the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Since 2023, €100 million has been allocated to support community facilities, including for gaming areas and playgrounds.
The local enhancement programme provides funding to community groups in disadvantaged areas. It does support playgrounds. The programme is administered by local community development committees across the country, and co-ordinated by local authorities. We also have the town and village renewal scheme, for which the window is now open.
Through the community recognition fund, €50,000 was allocated to Cork County Council in 2023 for upgrade works to the playground in Midleton. A range of options is available to communities that want to work in tandem with local authorities to develop playground facilities.
Yesterday, I was in Ballyogan, Dún Laoghaire, where I opened a library. The council developed the library with a playground as part of the outdoor space around it. You can walk straight from the library into the playground. It is a fantastic use of resources and a great example of what can be done with a little bit of thinking outside the box.
Playgrounds are central parts of a flourishing community - places where children get to explore, have fun, challenge themselves and connect with peers. To provide for children in these respects, Midleton requires a much larger playground than either of the two that we currently have. Ballinacurra, which is just outside Midleton, has no playground at all for a rising population. We also need a skate park in Midleton. In addition, we need disability-accessible equipment. In short, our young people deserve better.
I thank the local council officials for obtaining €50,000 through a community recognition fund application after I raised the need for a playground upgrade over an extended period. Unfortunately, we need multiples of that amount. It should not fall on committees of families to seek out such funding. I am currently part of a committee of local families, along with my councillor colleague, Eamonn Horgan, and we are exploring all of the funding streams the Minister mentioned to provide expanded and upgraded playground provision in Midleton and Ballinacurra.
I welcome the fact that the initiative has been taken locally. The funding options are available to Cork County Council to support and fund that work. I direct the Deputy to the town and village renewal scheme, which is currently open. As it has funded playgrounds, skate parks, MUGAs, etc. in the past, it is definitely worth having a look at that. I encourage the Deputy to engage with Cork County Council on that. He can also engage with me on it.
It can be invigorating to be part of a committee pursuing funds for playground provision. It brings people together in common purpose for their community. My councillor colleague, Ann Bambury, was central to such an initiative in Bandon for a very ambitious project there, but it should not be left to families to become social entrepreneurs and project managers, essentially spending vast amounts of time trying to stitch together funding grants to develop essential community facilities.
It is likely that some of the children of the families based in Midleton and Ballinacurra, which are part of our committee, will have aged out of playground use by the time we have succeeded in achieving the more ambitious parts of our aim. Just as it should not be left to parents to campaign for a new school, they should not have to take on the task of developing playgrounds and skate parks, and expanding existing facilities. Parents have enough to do. Childhood passes by quickly.
I could not agree more with the Deputy. Parents are very busy, but it is not the job of the Department either. We have put the funding initiatives in place and the local authorities can engage with us on them. They are best suited to that role in such developments given their skills and knowledge of what is needed in each area. Under CLÁR alone, we funded 17 projects in Cork in 2023. In 2024 we funded 23 projects. The two tranches amount to almost €2 million between them. We have the funding for facilities. We engage through the local authorities because they are the best mechanism. They have the on-the-ground expertise. I gave the Deputy a good example of a development yesterday using both programmes. The funding is there under different streams. Good local authorities engage with us and draw down the funding which delivers for parents and families.
Road Projects
77. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of applications for the local improvement scheme in Donegal since 2020; the number of outstanding local improvement scheme roads in Donegal; if he will allocate a major increase in local improvement scheme funding for the Glenties and Inishowen municipal districts given the demand; whether he will review the local improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14862/25]
I would be grateful if the Minister could outline the number of applications for the local improvement scheme, LIS, in Donegal since 2020, and the number of outstanding LIS roads in Donegal.
I would also like to know whether he will allocate a major increase in LIS funding to the Glenties and Inishowen municipal districts because an increase in funding for the roads in these areas is desperately needed. Will he also look at reviewing the local improvement scheme during his term?
I thank Deputy Ward for his question.
As members are aware, the LIS is an important support for rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. In April of last year, some €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to cover 2024 and 2025. Department officials have recently opened the 2025 LIS and invited local authorities to submit their lists of priority roads for completion in 2025.
Since 2020, Donegal County Council has been allocated over €8.3 million in scheme funding. This figure includes an allocation of €2.79 million for last year and this year. The 2025 return from the council detailing the works it will undertake this year is due to be submitted to my Department shortly. I believe 224 roads have been completed in County Donegal.
As the Deputy will appreciate with regard to the areas he mentioned, rather than being allocated on a municipal district basis, scheme funding is allocated on a local authority basis and authorities themselves decide on allocations across their areas. In terms of annual funding allocations, a review of the scheme is carried out by the Department ahead of any new funding announcements in order to ensure allocations across local authorities are made as fairly and efficiently as possible. Department officials, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I work closely with local authorities to ensure that funding is fully utilised. I am, as is the Minister, Deputy Calleary, committed to ensuring the LIS continues to be well funded in the coming years.
As we all know, it is a fantastic scheme. It is one that many want to avail of. The Government, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to engaging to ensure we receive, as we have done year-on-year, an increase in scheme funding. As regards Donegal, the allocation for this year has not yet been submitted.
If the Minister of State has been to Donegal, he will know many of our rural roads are in an awful state and in urgent need of upgrading, particularly around the Glenties and Inishowen areas. These are the most deprived areas. They are rural areas.
The LIS as it currently stands is wholly inadequate for us as there is a need to address the infrastructural differences between rural and urban Donegal. There are hundreds of people in my constituency who have been waiting on the LIS list for years and it seems many of them are unlikely to see their roads addressed under the current scheme. I welcome the scheme. It was extended last year and more families can qualify for the scheme but it is pointless if they cannot access it as it is currently set up. We need to ensure people can access their homes and farms safely. Without effective infrastructure, rural and Gaeltacht communities, particularly those in my area, are dying. Without these roads and people helping in the communities by fixing these roads, we will end up with people having to move to urban centres and leave rural Ireland.
I agree with the Deputy that it is important we ensure people have accessibility and it is about giving them comfort. Donegal has been very good at spending the money allocated to it and has been very successful, with 224 roads completed. It is about ensuring there is flexibility in certain areas where there are pressure points. I will engage with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in terms of Donegal County Council looking at the points where there are issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Local authorities are very good at drawing down the money and Donegal has been exceptional in this regard. I look forward to working with it. The base funding has increased year-on-year. It is a capital expenditure scheme. The Government has committed to this scheme. There will be a review of the NDP and we will look for more money for the LIS. Donegal has been very good in this area and I hope it can avail of some of the unspent money in future years. I commend Donegal County Council for the work it has done in spending the allocation. I thank the Deputy for the question.
I understand this but the LIS funding allocated to Donegal must increase and be prioritised because of what is going on in the west of Donegal, Gaeltacht areas and north Inishowen, in particular. Councillors out there are constantly looking for funding. There are roads that have not been touched for years. If a plan was put in place for the LIS roads in north Inishowen and west Donegal, it would effectively help rural communities. During his term, will the Minister of State consider increasing the funding for LIS in Donegal, if he can?
As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to this scheme. It is a very important one and at the heart of what we do about rural Ireland. It is about connectivity and it goes back to the question raised by Deputy Wall. It goes back to Deputy Ward's point about people who live way off the road and are trying to-----
Yes.
-----end social isolation and enhance connectivity. There are different factors when it comes to roads, such as geography, the condition of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the Deputy's point to Donegal County Council. It is a vast and beautiful county. To be fair, the road network has been improved. There may be some areas that need to be enhanced. We have seen a year-on-year increase in the allocation of funding to Donegal. The Department will engage further. It is a matter for the municipal authority as to how the county spends the money already allocated. I encourage the Deputy to engage with the roads director there as well. I thank the Deputy for the question.
Deputy Jerry Buttimer: -----social isolation and enhance connectivity. There are different factors around the issue of roads in terms of geography, the conditon of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the point the Deputy made to Donegal County Council because it is a vast county. It is a beautiful county. The road network there has been improved, to be fair. There are some areas that need to be enhancedhnio the allocation to Donegal.