asked the Taoiseach if his attention has been drawn to the annual report of Mayo County Committee of Agriculture in which it is stated that (1) there is a decrease in population and a trend away from agricultural work, (2) there was no marriage in the Kiltimagh area in 1970, (3) the age structure of the farming community in one area showed that 60 per cent are over 50 years and (4) a number of schools have closed as a result of rural depopulation; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this situation.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Mayo Report.
5.
I have seen a copy of the report mentioned in the question. The factors referred to, namely, the movement of people out of agriculture to more remunerative employment, coupled with a high age structure and low marriage rate of those remaining are characteristic of small farm areas in most countries. The Government's policy for the development of such areas in this country has been set out in the Third Programme for Economic and Social Development and elsewhere.
I would also refer the Deputy to my detailed reply to a question on this general subject on the 18th May last.
May I inquire from the Taoiseach if he is aware that this report was compiled by a group of technical advisers attached to the Mayo County Committee of Agriculture and that it has been described in the local paper, the Western People, as correctly describing the situation in the county? If the Taoiseach has read the report he will appreciate that all the assistance by him and the Minister for Lands has meant nothing, if this report is true, and it is absolutely true and correct. The people who compiled it are not politicians and they have no connection with political parties. Would the Taoiseach comment on these facts?
I have not in any way intimated that I do not accept the report. I have not read it in detail but I am quite satisfied it is an objective report in its component parts compiled by the officials responsible for it. It is a recent report and while the measures to which I referred in the second part of my reply are fairly recent measures, they include the expenditure of £500,000 on different projects in the West, of which one-fifth is devoted to County Mayo. Many of these projects are recent activities. The subject matter of the report covers a very, very long period — one might say half a century — and it is not easy in methods recently introduced to overcome and offset the trend that set in so long ago, but I think we are making progress in the right direction.
Is the Taoiseach aware that 8,400 people have left County Mayo since 1961? What effort has he and his Government made to provide employment designed to keep people in their own country?
I would refer the Deputy to the very extensive reply I gave here on 18th May. The Deputy will see from that reply the variety of measures designed to assist in reversing this trend. I think many of these measures are already having that effect.
In view of the failure of the measures taken up to date, may I put it to the Taoiseach that it is absolutely necessary now to initiate a crash programme in this region in order to save a situation which has been described, and rightly so, by local people as a doomsday situation? May I put it to the Taoiseach that promising something for the future or drawing up plans will not solve the problem?
I am not a great believer in crash programmes but, in so far as reference has been made to them, some of the measures to which I referred might be described as crash programmes. For example, the special regional development fund made available a couple of years ago is being administered in a very flexible manner. Worthwhile economic projects are being assisted. Economic projects which are in danger of folding up for shortage of capital, if they have any viability at all, are being assisted. A variety of things might qualify as crash programmes. As well as that, there is a solid effort being made by the county development teams and by the regional councils. In the long run all this will inure to the benefit and welfare of the West better than any crash programme.