Fine Gael has been accused of "turning its back" on rural Ireland.

Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary was responding to reports that the new National Planning Framework has earmarked a number of regional cities for economic investment and development, but fails to put a strategy in place for rural areas.

He said: "Fine Gael are the creators of the two-tier economy that is being perpetrated across this country and it now appears that they are continuing to exacerbate an already extremely serious economic situation. The previous Government concentrated its recovery efforts in Dublin and the greater Dublin area, and while this new plan proposes to bring in other cities, it is still an urban-focused strategy – completely ignoring rural towns and communities.

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"Mayo is home to Ireland West Airport, Knock – an international air access gateway – which should be pivotal in any National Planning Framework, but has been cast aside by this urban-focussed Government. We have an Institute of Technology, which produces highly skilled workers, many of whom want to remain in the county but are being denied the opportunity to do so by a Government which is determined to remain tied to city projects.

"This latest plan follows in the footsteps of numerous other short-sighted strategies, which fail to make any provision for economic growth in rural towns and communities."

(CD)