Rural affairs minister faces backlash over broadband

Fighting rural migration and worrying levels of unemployment in towns and villages around the country must be a priority, newly promoted Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring has been told.

Mr Ring released a progress report on the Government’s action plan for rural Ireland, but is facing a backlash over broadband problems, local funding debacles, and high unemployment figures outside of urban areas.

His progress report claims that 195 of 202 parts of the Government’s rural action plan have been completed, are on schedule, or are in progress. Progress has been made on town and village schemes, the CLÁR programme, rural transport links, as well as outdoor recreation infrastructure, says the report.