Like colleagues, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the consultation process relating to Our Rural Future. While this policy is often spoken about in the context of counties far from Dublin, the truth is that many of the challenges it seeks to address are felt just as strongly in parts of my constituency. Two fifths of Dublin South-West is rural. The constituency stretches out beyond Tallaght towards Brittas and the border with Wicklow on one side and through rural Rathfarnham out the Old Military Road across the Featherbeds, past the Captain Noel Lemass monument and into the county of Wicklow. The foothills of the Dublin Mountains, which I represent, cover Rathfarnham to Tibradden and Killakee and Glenasmole, Crooksling, Brittas and Bohernabreena on the western side of the mountains. In recent weeks, the national conversation has been dominated by the fuel protests. These have prompted some to speak about a supposed rural-urban divide. What I hear from people who live in my constituency is very different. Dublin South-West residents understand both sides of the debate because we have both rural and urban areas. Many families in rural south Dublin balance the realities of suburban life, with the rural reality of having the mountains on their doorstep. These communities experience the same day-to-day challenges as any rural parish, with long commutes, limited public transport and infrastructure that has not always kept pace with demand. I would say to the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan that far from being a weakness, this blend of rural and urban is one of our great strengths because it gives people in the constituency a unique perspective. They know that rural Ireland is not some distant concept. It begins just a few minutes from the M50. It provides a truly enriching backdrop to suburban life and it is also home to hundreds of families. They know that when we talk about balanced development, fairness and investment, those principles must apply to every community, including those on the edge of our suburbs. One of the clearest examples in this regard is broadband. Despite being so close to the city, there are still homes on the Bohernabreena side of the mountains that struggle with unreliable or inadequate connectivity and the consequences associated with that. Parents tell me of their children being unable to complete homework as a result of patchy connections. There are workers who are trying vainly to participate in hybrid work but who find themselves constantly at a disadvantage in that regard. The same is true of road access, particularly in view of recent and ongoing closures. As a result of subsidence across on the Rathfarnham side of the Dublin Mountains, the Cruagh Road was closed causing significant inconvenience to local residents. People travelling to work, school or medical appointments found themselves facing detours. The feeling is that if this had been a suburban road, the problem would have been addressed much more quickly. As this consultation process moves forward, it is essential that the Department actively captures the experience of communities like those in Dublin South-West. The purpose of this consultation is to listen. With regard to one-off housing - or the lack of it - on the Bohernabreena west side of the mountain and the Rathfarnham east side of the mountain, barely any planning permission for new homes has been granted by South Dublin County Council in the past ten to 15 years. I could probably count on both hands the number of homes in respect of which permission has been granted during my 27 years as a public representative. What this has done is split families and children from their parents. It means that children who grew up in the mountains now live in the suburbs of Old Bawn and Aylesbury while their parents, some of whom are ageing - a point made by the previous speaker - live in the foothills. This puts things like school numbers under pressure. I have seen the success of the Local Link transport in rural towns and villages in Ireland, but there is no Local Link service in the rural foothills of my constituency. Such a service would be of huge assistance to parents with children attending national school. Digital connectivity and physical connectivity go hand in hand, and a community cannot thrive if either is unreliable. The consultation process must take account of a number of themes. One-off housing and the issues around this, as mentioned by all previous speakers, apply as much in rural south-west Dublin as they do in any other part of rural Ireland. Our Rural Future is an ambitious policy. The people who live in the rural part of my constituency, including sheep farmers and other farmers and horticulturists, are guardians of the part of the countryside that is closest to the city and its suburbs. We need to ensure that this policy delivers and is seen to deliver for those in Dublin South-West and in parts of rural south Dublin who experience both the fantastic opportunities rural life offers them and the challenges of living in rural Ireland close to a city every day.

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