The Assembly welcome a specific and tailored chapter dedicated to Rural Laois. The overall aim of the chapter is to ‘support the role of rural areas in maintaining a stable population base through a strong network of villages and small towns and strengthening rural communities by supporting a resilient rural economy and the sustainable management of land and resources.’ The chapter focuses on a number of specific areas including agriculture, sustainable food production, afforestation, peatlands, the future use of Bord na Móna lands (Renewable Energy and Green Infrastructure), mining and aggregates and commercial developments. The Assembly considers that this chapter is in keeping with the RSES and in particular Section 4.8 (specifically RPO 4.84) and numerous RPOs contained at Chapter 6 of the RSES detailing the rural economy.