Macra and rural Ireland
Deputies raised Macra na Feirme’s walk and concerns about rural Ireland, including housing, healthcare, transport and farm succession. The Taoiseach said he would meet Macra later and defended Government progress on rural population and employment, while opponents argued the services are still lacking.
Yesterday, young people from across Ireland, who are involved in Macra na Feirme, began a 14-hour walk to Government Buildings from Athy. They are taking a stand for rural Ireland. For many of us born and raised there, there is nowhere else we would rather live. In fact, there is nowhere else we see our futures. Macra, in its campaign, is raising eight key issues around access to affordable housing and to healthcare and also the issue for young farmers about quotas on accessing supports. Today, young people are sending a very clear message to this Government. We are telling it we want a future in our rural communities and the Government must act to make that happen.
Clearly, rural Ireland has been let down. If it had not been, Macra would not have been doing what it did yesterday and what it is doing today. How does the Taoiseach intend to respond to the really determined and ambitious demand for change from this generation?
Comment on this
Alongside the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I will meet with Macra later. I would like to be able to meet their members at the gates but, as the Deputy knows, I will be in the Chamber until 3 p.m. or so. However, I will meet them to discuss their ideas and suggestions this afternoon and will be happy to greet them in Government Buildings and not for the first time.
In the round, rural Ireland is doing okay. Why do I say that? I say it because of the census. The numbers, which have only come out in the last couple of months, show the population in every county in Ireland is increasing. Not a single county is seeing a population decrease.
Comment on this
That is important and it goes against the false narrative that Sinn Féin tries to put across regularly. We know from the CSO figures that unemployment in every county in Ireland is close to an all-time low.
