TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said he supports people’s right to build a house in their native area and that he is ‘very well aware of rural crime’.

The leader of the government gave his views on various issues, including dereliction, respite care and rural GPs, when he addressed a public meeting in the Anglers Hotel in Headford.

On the issue of rural housing, the Taoiseach said he ‘strongly supports’ people being able to build in an area where they are originally from.

The issue has been contentious among county councillors across Mayo, particularly during the drafting of the recent county development plan.

Replying to a question from Young Fine Gael President Eoghan Gallagher, Taoiseach Varadkar said: “I’ve a very strong belief that somebody who is from an area and wants to live and work in that area should be able to build a house. I would strongly support that.”

He added: “But if it is their intention to commute a long distance to work regularly, I think that is different. That has serious consequences in terms of climate, in terms of pollution, in terms of the use of resources, in terms of the use of roads, and we have to be honest with ourselves about that.”

‘Carrot and stick’

WHEN asked about vacancy and dereliction, Taoiseach Varadkar said his government would continue to adopt a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, citing a newly established €150 million fund for local authorities to purchase vacant properties.

“We also have a derelict sites levy on people who have derelict land and aren’t using it,” he said. “Although I’d like to see local authorities using it a lot more,” he added.

Responding to a question from Independent Galway East TD Seán Canney on the issue of rural crime, the Taoiseach said he was ‘very aware’ of the issue but that An Garda Síochána had never been better funded or resourced.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee recently met with gardaí and Fine Gael representatives during a recent visit to Mayo, where former garda Cllr Christy Hyland, asked her to scrap the new policing model – which Cllr Hyland has branded ‘a disaster’.

“I know there’s a lot of talk at the moment in the media about attacks on people in Dublin city centre, but crime happens in all parts of the country and burglaries are a particular issue in rural areas,” said Taoiseach Varadkar.

The Fine Gael leader said the number of gardaí had reached ‘an all-time high’ in 2021 but admitted that the force was haemorrhaging officers to retirement and resignations.

He also said that 200 new gardaí would be coming through the Garda Training College in Templemore ‘every couple of weeks’.

None of the 87 recently graduated garda recruits were deployed to Mayo.

“Hopefully sometime this year we will ensure that they are deployed to areas that need them the most,” said Taoiseach Varadkar, who was not referring to Mayo specifically.

‘Not giving up’

ON the shortage of rural GPs, Taoiseach Varadkar pointed to ongoing education initiatives aimed at attracting more doctors into general practice.

GP positions in Achill, Lahardane and Charlestown are vacant at present in Mayo.

“There’s a graduate programme in Limerick at the moment, but it’s particularly for rural areas. And that’s encouraging,” said the Taoiseach.

During his remarks, the Dublin native called for the controversial EU nature restoration law – which would see thousands of acres of land re-wetted – to be ‘sensible’.

He also described the lack of respite support for families caring for people with special needs as ‘a terrible problem’.

One such case of a family unable to obtain respite for their son with severe behavioural issues was recently highlighted in these pages.

“It’s finding the staff to staff the centres, that’s an enormous problem at the moment,” said Taoiseach Varadkar.

“One of, I suppose, the unintended consequences of full employment, being able to find people to do the work can be difficult. But we’re not giving up on it.”