Heather jobs boost vow on rural poverty
High-speed broadband to transform communities
The number one priority is to get people back to work MINISTER HUMPHREYS ON INVESTMENT BOOST
THE new Minister for Rural Development has pledged to reduce poverty throughout the country by getting people back to work.
Heather Humphreys will also roll out 300 high-speed broadband centres in rural areas in the coming weeks, connecting those in remote communities with the rest of the country.
Rural areas are among the most impoverished in the country with higher rates of unemployment and reliance on social welfare to survive.
Minister Humphreys, whose remit also includes Social Protection and Community Development, said yesterday she believes this will help people in more remote areas gain employment.
She told RTE’S Radio One Countryside show: “The number one priority of this Government is getting people back to work.
“The best thing you can give somebody to get them out of poverty is to give them the opportunity to get a job.
“So I’m going to be working very closely with the Tanaiste in terms of creating employment and getting people back to work in all of the regions.
“There are a number of labour programmes in my department, in social protection, and I think these will work very well with the other department [of employment].
“It’s about working with people and getting them back to work. I want to ensure everybody gets a fair opportunity.”
Crucial to providing these employment opportunities is the nationwide rollout of high-speed broadband, which the Minister pledged will happen later this year. Ms Humphreys
said: “Broadband is a huge issue in rural Ireland, and the rollout of the high-speed broadband is going to be transformative for rural businesses and communities.
“In the coming weeks, I’ll be announcing 300 broadband connection points across the country.
“These connections will be in community centres and different locations that are accessible to the public, and there will be free, on-site, high-speed broadband.
“For many living in rural Ireland and indeed on the islands off Donegal, Kerry, Mayo and Cork, they don’t have that access so they’ll be able to get these high-speed points.”
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