When the debate adjourned last night I was making the point that the appointment of Ministers of State can have positive effects and should not be portrayed in a negative light as it was by some Opposition speakers. I gave the example of Deputy Mary Harney who was a Minister of State from 1989 to 1992. She overcame difficulties in her Department to achieve notable success in her office and, with the experience and reputation she gained as Minister of State she went on, not so long afterwards, to become leader of her party. Another example is Deputy Mary O'Rourke who expected to be a Minister in the last Government but was only appointed a Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment where she achieved notable success both in the Department and at the Select Committee on Enterprise and Economic Strategy. As a member of that committee I watched her contribution at close range as she guided the Consumer Credit Bill through. These are just two examples which show why we should not be negative about the appointment of Ministers of State.
Judgement on the appointment of the two Ministers of State should be suspended until they deliver. They have a role they are well equipped to play, and considerable scope for initiating and implementing policy which will make this country a better place in which to live.
Deputy Avril Doyle is a former Minister of State at the Department of Finance who had responsibility for the Office of Public Works and the Department of the Environment in 1986-87. This Bill will make it possible for Deputy Doyle to be appointed a Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Finance and the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications with special responsibility for public services. She will also co-chair an interdepartmental committee on the commemoration of the famine. This post is important because the policy agreement, a Government of Renewal, places considerable emphasis on changes in institutions of State to make them more responsive and accountable. A high degree of co-ordinated action in different policy areas will be required to achieve these changes and enable the Government to meet its commitments.
The Government will set an agenda for action on these matters and it will be the responsibility of Deputy Doyle to have this programme carried out. I am confident Deputy Doyle's efforts will make a real difference in the quality of service to the public and restore faith in our public institutions. This concerns every citizen of the State. The appointment is, therefore, valid and justified.
I have known Deputy Donal Carey for many years and have a particular interest in his appointment as a Minister of State. He has been a public representative for 21 years and a Member of the Dáil since 1982. He is widely experienced and I welcome his appointment as Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and the Gaeltacht with special responsibilities for co-ordinating the Government's commitment to western development and urban renewal. His responsibilities will include co-ordinating support for the implementation of the action plan being prepared by the Western Development Partnership Boards, responsibility for overseeing the implementation of a pilot programme for the development of a more integrated approach to public service in rural areas, and special responsibility for the development and improvement of living conditions on our offshore islands. Deputy Carey will also chair an inter-departmental committee to examine the problems facing island communities and the ways in which these difficulties can be overcome. Offshore islands have been neglected for a long time by various Governments. I am delighted that Fine Gael, in Government, has seen fit to appoint a Minister with responsibility in this area.
Ba mhaith liom freisin comhgháirdeachas a dhéanamh leis an Teachta Carey ar a cheapadh mar Aire Stáit i Roinn na Gaeltachta. Má tá jab le déanamh, níl fear níos fearr ná an Teachta Carey chun a chóta a bhaint de agus an obair a dhéanamh, mar a rinne sé sa toghchán i Maigh Eo Thiar nuair a togh-adh an Teachta Ring. Bhí mé ag obair leis an Teachta Carey ag an am sin agus tá mé cinnte go ndéanfaidh sé jab maith.
I am sure Deputy Carey will be of great help to my overworked colleague, the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Michael D. Higgins. The appointment of a Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, western development and the islands illustrates the Government's commitment to ensuring that all areas benefit from opportunities for growth and employment. The appointment of Deputy Carey at this time is of great significance as this is a vital period for the west. It is a watershed for the region. We are at a point in history where we must start to recover or fade forever. I can assure the House that we in the west have no intention of throwing in the towel. The people of the west are greatly encouraged by the commitment of this, the first Government to appoint a Minister for Western Development and I am delighted this step has been taken.
This appointment also coincides with a major drive and determination within the communities of the west to help themselves by organising community and self help projects. This is exemplified by the Bishop's crusade for the survival of the west which reflects what is happening in every community in the west. Most communities have produced their own action plan, encouraged by the availability of EC funding. What is vital is that the Government is now appointing a Minister with direct responsibility for co-ordinating the efforts of the Bishops and the communities in the west to give them hope for the future.
Other parts of the country have special problems but nowhere else has the population dropped consistently in every country over the past 50 years. With the exception of Galway City the population in Connaught has declined dramatically. Since the census of 1926 Leitrim has lost 30,606 people, a drop of 54 per cent; Mayo has lost 61,977 people, a drop of 36 per cent; Roscommon has lost 31,659 people, a drop of 38 per cent; Sligo has lost 16,632 people, a drop of 23 per cent. A recent survey carried out in 30 schools in Connemara indicates that the school-going population will drop by 25 per cent by 1999. Leenane, that beautiful village where the film, "The Field", was shot, will only have eight school-going children in 1999. Rosmuc, a Gaeltacht area where Padraic Pearse's cottage is and where he learned Irish, will have only eight school pupils by 1999. The number of pupils in Cornamona will drop from the present 86 to 30 by 1999 and the school-going population in Clifden, the capital of Connemara, will drop from 263 to 190 by 1999. Those are the findings of a scientific study of all the schools in Connemara.
I am delighted we will have a ministry with special responsibility for western development and I have every confidence that, on his appointment, Donal Carey, in co-operation with the many voluntary agencies and community initiatives, will carry out this function with commitment and put the west back on the map. In anticipation of this appointment I ask him now to take immediate steps to extend the Eircell national grid to all other areas in Connemara. In Clifden doctors and other business people who provide a service to the offshore islands have great difficulty in doing so because the area is not in the Eircell grid. That should be a priority for the new ministry. I will be glad to liaise and help and make a public commitment to do so in efforts to develop the west.
