Tá mé díreach tar éis teacht ó chur i láthair ó Chomhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann agus ó Chomhar na nOileán maidir leis an scéim LEADER. I am after coming from a briefing in the audiovisual room from Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann agus ó Chomhar na nOileán regarding the islands LEADER programme. They are seeking the establishment of a subregional area under the new LEADER programme. For the last LEADER programme the islands were part of their designated counties, the Mayo islands with the Mayo groups and the Galway islands in their forum. They are united in the view that this change should take place and that they should be part of a united islands programme under this round of LEADER from next January. There is still time for that to happen, although only a small amount of time. I am calling for a debate with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, on islands, islands policy, the next LEADER programme and how islands are treated in that. It is something island communities want, they believe it will make a strong and positive difference, and there is cross-party support for it. The relationships between islands and their local authorities leave a lot to be desired in some cases, although some counties are better than others. This is a small change that could make a big difference in how this scheme is operated and funded for island communities. There are such similarities between the islands, and they have much more in common in many cases than they have with their associated mainland counties. I call for a debate with the Minister in that regard.

I support Senator Kyne in asking the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to come to the House to have a debate on the islands and on LEADER funding for the islands. I have been on a number of the islands this year and they are doing great work there with limited funding. They have different problems from the mainland and, on one of the islands in Cork, they are creating jobs. It was usually the other way around and people would leave the islands to look for employment on the mainland, but on one of the islands off Cork, they are creating jobs and there are people moving from the mainland to the island and looking for planning permission for houses and so forth. As Senator Kyne has said, there is provision in European law to have one LEADER programme for the islands and this is what they are looking for. We should have the Minister in here for a debate on LEADER funding for the islands and on the problems they have. That would be a worthwhile debate.