€10m rural plan ‘needs to be 20 times greater’

A new Government plan to invest €10m in rural Irish towns needs to be at least 20 times bigger to make any real difference for recession-hit smaller communities, an opposition TD has warned.

Independent TD for Roscommon-Galway East, Michael Fitzmaurice, made the claim after the sought-after ring-fenced funding was announced by Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys.

Under a long-awaited initiative to help rural Ireland recover, Ms Humphreys has published plans to invest at least €10m in small towns and villages this year.