Rural Fund An Insultingly Cosmetic Exercise
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said that the budget for the latest pre-election Scheme to be announced by Government in relation to rejuvenating rural Ireland is disgracefully disproportionate to the scale of the task. Deputy McGrath was speaking ahead of the announcement by Ministers Ann Phelan and Alan Kelly of a €30m Scheme aimed at redressing the economic neglect of rural Ireland:
“Let us be clear about this; the funding for the Scheme that will be announced for the entire of rural Ireland amounts to €20 million less than the entire spend of Irish Water on consultancy.
It is also the equivalent of the funding package which this Government gave for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork received last year.
This year alone County Tipperary saw a loss of €15,219,723 to its LEADER programmes. Programmes whose sole aim was to do the very things this scheme is being set up for.
That is half of the entire budget for this scheme contained within one county. It is absolutely farcical and will be seen for what it is; an attempt to look like decisive action is being taken when the opposite is the case,” concluded Deputy McGrath.
