I want to highlight on the floor of the Seanad an event I attended at the weekend in my home county of Mayo on the community futures programme. This programme identifies an area, generally a rural hinterland. In this case it is Brackloon, which is a series of townlands that have come together to devise a plan, future and strategy for their community. The programme engaged with 279 submissions from 345 households in the area.

It identified community needs. It identified opportunities within the area and identified the demographics of the area and where there might be potential need for investment into the future.

The community futures model is something that needs to be commended. It would benefit every town and village nationwide where the local authority empowers a local community to engage in this process. While there would be policymaking and decision-making from the ground up that was led by the community, it needs to be supported from local authority and Oireachtas level to make the plans and hopes for their community a reality.

A number of issues are identified, such as flooding and lack of footpaths and lighting. However, there are many opportunities in terms of improving connectivity and tourism links within the area, as well as connectivity to the local school and other amenities. They have a very proud heritage and history in the area. It sits at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is a very scenic area. This requires the support of all agencies and authorities to realise their plan, whether that is the tackling of flooding or the creation of playgrounds and more facilities for young people. I wish to acknowledge Tom Kitterick, who is the chair of the community group, along with the whole organisation which has put this brilliant document together.

I ask the Leader to request a discussion on this with the Minister in order that we have the opportunity to have dedicated funds to realise these plans so it is not just something that gathers dust or sits on a shelf but is delivered upon because communities have done the heavy lifting, the consultation and the hard work and have produced really interesting data and proposals. It is now for the agencies of the State, whether that is the local authority or Departments, to deliver and invest in it. We rely a lot on volunteers in Ireland. It is part of how we operate as communities and societies but we cannot over-rely on volunteers. We need to make sure we have actual delivery when volunteers step up to the plate and create a clear plan and a clear ask. We need to make sure that is delivered on.

I commend the Brackloon community, the volunteers and the community futures programme in Mayo County Council and I hope that, across the board, we can make sure we deliver on plans like this for the betterment of communities like Brackloon.