Fianna Fáil is calling on the Government to include rural towns in its pilot plan to revitalise rural Ireland.

The scheme is expected to begin a pilot project later this year.

TD for Mayo Lisa Chambers accused Fine Gael of "neglecting" rural Ireland over the past six years.

She said: "The plan being proposed by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is long overdue. Fianna Fáil has been arguing for more investment in rural Ireland for years, and it was a key priority for us during the negotiations to facilitate a minority Government. In fact, the Confidence and Supply Arrangement contains a clear commitment to develop new Community Development Schemes for rural areas – and we want to see these rolled out as a matter of urgency.

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"While I welcome this pilot scheme, we need to see a real investment by Government into rural areas. This means improving services like broadband, housing, roads, schools and GP care in towns and villages in Mayo. If the Government is serious about rural regeneration, towns like Castlebar and Claremorris will need a massive investment injection and I am calling on Minister Humphreys to ensure that these towns are included in the pilot project."

(CD/MH)