A Cork TD says the success of the Rural Future Plan will be judged on how quickly it can be implemented.
Tax breaks for working from home are to be examined under the new plan to incentivise people to move to rural Ireland, along with the establishment of a fund to turn vacant buildings into shared office spaces with access to high speed broadband..
West Cork Social Democrat TD Holly Cairns says the plan needs to be followed up with immediate Government action to help stem the further decline of communities throughout rural Ireland.
She says many communities have struggled to survive due to decades of under-investment with many being further impacted by the closures of banks and post offices which were once the commercial heartbeat of towns and villages.
Speaking to RedFM News Deputy Cairns says the plan is very ambitious but lacks detail.
"Unfortunately there are no new spending targets in the plan, or ideas.
"The plan is ambitious, but will ultimately be judged on how quickly it's implemented.
"It contains 150 actions to encourage people to live and work in rural Ireland, however the Taoiseach has admitted that the plan is a broad strategic framework, and costing and timeframes for measures are not included and have yet to be worked out.
"It's far from a policy that looks like it's going to be implemented any time soon unfortunately."
