Minister for Rural Affairs Ann Phelan is to meet with Commissioner Phil Hogan and his officials in Brussels tomorrow, Wednesday, to discuss the challenges and issues that currently arise for rural Ireland.

Minister Phelan will emphasise the importance of rural Ireland to the Irish economy and how she intends to rejuvenate and re-energise the sector to play its part in the economic recovery.

Minister Phelan said: "Rural Ireland is firmly at the top of my agenda in meeting Commissioner Hogan. For far too long, rural Ireland, i.e. constituencies outside of Dublin, have not experienced the same scale of recovery as their urban counterparts.

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"It is my job to be the voice for Rural Ireland, to assist communities in developing their local economies while also driving job creation and business investment in areas such as in the Midlands and the South-east; which have a wealth of resources and infrastructure that can be tapped into.

"This Government is serious about the rejuvenation of Rural Ireland, that is why a Ministry has been established and that is why I need to ensure that relevant funding is allocated by Europe to assist in this redevelopment. Crucial to this redevelopment, is of course, access to high quality, high speed, broadband. I will also be discussing this matter with Commissioner Hogan."

(CD/JP)