Danny Healy-Rae: Defends Rural Ireland, Demands Action on 575 Kerry Roads
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in the Dáil to push back against comments that rural Ireland is a burden and to demand urgent help for Kerry communities. He highlighted 575 unadopted roads, planning refusals for one-off homes, limited funding and risks to the Leader Programme.
Summary and top points. Danny Healy-Rae directly rejected remarks by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar implying rural Ireland is a burden, stressing politicians must show appreciation for rural communities. He outlined immediate problems in Kerry: hundreds of LIS roads not taken in charge, limited funding allocation, and planning refusals that leave families stuck.
Kerry roads and planning. Healy-Rae described a unique situation in Kerry with 575 roads that remain public but were never taken in charge by the County Council. He warned these roads may serve 10 or 20 houses each and that locals are repeatedly denied basic planning to build one-off homes - often only seeking planning permission and willing to complete the rest themselves.
Leader Programme and funding concerns. He raised concern about the Leader Programme as new caps approach, saying the programme risks being squeezed while farmers already face hardships. He also noted the small allocation of 1.2 million again this year and expressed worry for those trying to survive in rural areas.
Package exclusions and construction support. Healy-Rae pointed out a gap in a recent package which excluded people operating diggers, cranes and other construction machinery from specific measures, while green diesel costs were referenced separately. He pressed the Minister for attention and urgent action for these rural survival issues.
Political context and consequences. The speech frames a plea for recognition and practical support for rural Ireland, with immediate implications for planning policy, local infrastructure adoption and the distribution of future rural supports and caps.
Summary and top points. Danny Healy-Rae directly rejected remarks by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar implying rural Ireland is a burden, stressing politicians must show appreciation for rural communities. He outlined immediate problems in Kerry: hundreds of LIS roads not taken in charge, limited funding allocation, and planning refusals that leave families stuck.
Kerry roads and planning. Healy-Rae described a unique situation in Kerry with 575 roads that remain public but were never taken in charge by the County Council. He warned these roads may serve 10 or 20 houses each and that locals are repeatedly denied basic planning to build one-off homes - often only seeking planning permission and willing to complete the rest themselves.
Leader Programme and funding concerns. He raised concern about the Leader Programme as new caps approach, saying the programme risks being squeezed while farmers already face hardships. He also noted the small allocation of 1.2 million again this year and expressed worry for those trying to survive in rural areas.
Package exclusions and construction support. Healy-Rae pointed out a gap in a recent package which excluded people operating diggers, cranes and other construction machinery from specific measures, while green diesel costs were referenced separately. He pressed the Minister for attention and urgent action for these rural survival issues.
Political context and consequences. The speech frames a plea for recognition and practical support for rural Ireland, with immediate implications for planning policy, local infrastructure adoption and the distribution of future rural supports and caps.
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Transcript
Thank you last Comhairle. Minister, I like many others resent the comments by former Taoiseach Leo Radcliffe, more or less saying that rural Ireland is a burden to the state. That was dreadful and indeed Minister, each and every one of us inside here needs to show and demonstrate to the people of rural Ireland that we appreciate them here in Dalian and that Dalian appreciates them. My time is very short but in Kerry we've a unique situation where there's 575 roads on the way to Ennist, LIS roads. They're not private roads, they're public roads that were never taken in charge by the County Council. There could be 10, 20 houses on each of these roads. We only got 1.2 million again this year. Planning in Kerry for people to build a one-off household themselves. People don't want nothing else, only just planning. They'll do the rest of it themselves. They are being denied that day in, day out, year after year and it's very sad. The other thing that's very important in rural Kerry and indeed our small little villages and towns is the leader program and I worry that this year as we approach the new cap that when we're already taught that there's going to be a 20% reduction in the cap that the leader will get squeezed as well as the farmers that are trying to survive. Look Minister, I know you're attentive and I appreciate that but we need to address these urgent issues for the people that are trying to survive. There was one thing in the package that didn't include people with diggers, cranes, any kind of machinery involved in construction. They got that in terms of the cost of the green diesel. Thank you very much Minister.