Conor D. McGuinness TD, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Rural Affairs, Community Development, and the Gaeltacht, has delivered a scathing critique of the Government’s revised National Planning Framework (NPF), labeling it a “blueprint for continued neglect of communities and rural Ireland” that fails to address the pressing needs of communities across the state.
Speaking following a Dáil debate on the framework, Deputy McGuinness said the draft planning framework “falls far short” of what communities across the country need, and that it lacks urgency, vision, and any real plan for delivery.
“A national planning framework should be a roadmap for fairness, decent living standards, balanced development and a future where no community is written off. What we have before us is not a plan – it’s a vague wish list dressed up as strategy. It gestures at ambition but lacks the backbone to deliver.”
Deputy McGuinness sharply criticised the Government for failing to match policy with action across key areas such as rural affairs, balanced regional development, housing, social inclusion, maritime affairs, and the Gaeltacht.
“This Government has consistently failed to close the gap between what it says and what it does – and this document is no different. Whether in an inner-city estate or a rural parish, people are battling for access to a GP, a local Garda, a school place or reliable public transport. Those basics should not be up for debate in 2025.”
On rural Ireland, McGuinness said the framework offers only “warm words and the same tired policies” that have undermined rural communities for decades.
“The housing crisis is getting worse by the week – and rural areas are no exception. We need serviced sites, affordable and social homes, and planning policy that actually supports young families who want to live in the communities they grew up in. What we’re getting instead is more of the same restrictive, dogmatic rules that push people out and hollow out rural parishes.”
He reserved strong criticism for the continued failure to publish updated planning guidelines for Gaeltacht areas, warning that the future of these communities is being placed in jeopardy by Government inaction.
“Tá pobal na Gaeltachta fágtha ar lár arís agus arís eile. Tá treoirlínte pleanála don Ghaeltacht fós gan fhoilsiú. Tá teaghlaigh óga ag fanacht, ag éirí mífhoighneach agus ag imeacht óna gceantair dhúchais. Tá an Ghaeilge agus pobal na Gaeltachta i mbaol má leanaimid leis seo. Ní leor focail – tá gá le gníomh, le maoiniú agus le spriocanna soiléire don tithíocht shóisialta agus inacmhainne.”
On community development and social inclusion, Deputy McGuinness criticised the Government’s failure to outline any clear programme of investment.
“We cannot talk about planning without talking about power – including who holds it and who gets left out. Where is the vision for a better, fairer and more inclusive Ireland? It’s not in this document. This framework has nothing to say to the communities left behind by years of underinvestment and broken promises.”
He continued:
“Sinn Féin believes community-led development is not optional – it’s essential. Social inclusion and community development programmes, regeneration funds, youth services and community infrastructure are not luxuries – they are the building blocks of inclusive, thriving communities. The Government’s failure to recognise that is not just disappointing, it’s damning.”
On coastal and maritime areas, Deputy McGuinness described the framework’s silence as “staggering.”
“This plan says virtually nothing about our fishing communities, our working harbours or our maritime potential. Communities that are rich in culture and resources are being pushed to the edge – hammered by quotas, starved of investment and written out of the national vision.”
McGuinness concluded by calling for an urgent rewrite of the framework, warning that Sinn Féin will not support any final version that does not deliver for all communities.
“The blue economy – from fisheries to offshore renewables – is entirely overlooked here. The NPF should be spelling out how we invest in our coastal infrastructure, develop small ports, back inshore fishers and expand maritime opportunities. Instead, it ignores them.
“This framework lacks urgency, lacks vision, and lacks the commitment to change. Sinn Féin will not support any plan that leaves communities behind. It’s time to deliver more than promises – it’s time to deliver real change.”
Conor D. McGuinness TD 