Last week I called for a debate on the trend of small towns and villages losing financial services. It was covered in local media at the weekend and that resulted in one of the institutes I mentioned, the credit union in Elphin, getting in touch with me. It is closing down the service it was providing in Elphin. That is based on trends it is looking at but the closure still deserves inclusion in a debate in this House. A number of the credit union's members use its online services and a number use services in other facilities. The facility in Elphin was only open for two hours and 40 minutes per week anyway. It is encouraging its members to go ten minutes down the road to use the same services in Strokestown.

I want to highlight the fact that even though it was not viable for the credit union to maintain the building, it is maintaining the ATM service in Elphin, allowing people to do lodgements in a secure box there, facilitating withdrawals and providing an additional service for people with accessibility needs. All of these are important elements of providing financial services in rural Ireland. Even though the facility is closed, the fact the credit union is continuing to provide those facilities demonstrates the ethos we need to encourage in that debate.

I welcome tomorrow's debate in the Dáil addressing SI 75/2022 - Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) Regulations 2022. That scheme, which allowed for vacant commercial properties - namely, shops and pubs - to be converted into residential properties, was due to end on 31 September this year. I am delighted to see it is coming up in the Dáil Chamber tomorrow. I believe it will be discussed in this House as well. It is an important element in revitalising, restoring and bringing people back into our rural towns and villages.