I have notice from Senator John Connor that he proposes to raise the following matter on the Adjournment: the possibility of siting the administrative headquarters of the proposed national forestry authority in Castlerea, County Roscommon, as part of the Government's decentralisation policy.
Adjournment Matter. - Siting of Proposed National Forestry Authority.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
I am raising this issue this afternoon in the light of the recent Government statement on decentralisation and of developing EC policies on forestry which will have a pivotal importance for the economic progress of this State.
So far announcements have been made of the transfer of public servants to Sligo, Ballina, Galway, Cavan, Limerick, Nenagh, Athlone and Letterkenny; those are just some, there are other locations. On 4 January last the Minister of State, Deputy Smith, announced the setting up of a new semi-State forestry company on the lines of Telecom Éireann contending the new body would have commercial freedom to develop further and properly the national forestry resource. This would be in line with the recommendations of the review group on forestry which reported in November 1985. This group was set up by the then Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Mr. Paddy O'Toole in November 1984. In his announcement on 4 January the Minister of State, Deputy Smith, as reported in The Irish Times of that date, stated:
Preparation of the legislation to set up the new company is nearing completion but no final decision has been made about the funding or the location of its headquarters, which possibly will be outside Dublin.
In view of the final part in that quotation — and I most heartily welcome what appears to be a decision to place the headquarters of this new company outside overcrowded Dublin — I now ask the Minister through the medium of this motion on the Adjournment, that he, as Minister responsible for forestry would also carry a request to his Government. That request is that the administrative headquarters of the national forest enterprise — which the review group suggested was a suitable name for it — be located in Castlerea, County Roscommon.
There are a number of outstanding, indeed incontrovertible arguments for locating in Castlerea. In the short length of time available to me this afternoon I hope to advance some of them. Castlerea is a classic example of a small to medium-sized town suffering the ravages of the recession. Five years ago there were a number of industries and other State activities thriving in this town providing approximately 130 jobs. That is apart from the employment provided in St. Patrick's Hospital where the employment level is in excess of 200 people. However, one by one these industries closed: 52 jobs were lost in one firm, 25 in another, 12 in a local bakery, 20 people who worked on the staff of Telecom Éireann on the automation of the telephone system in the area and 12 who worked with the Irish Land Commission.
The worst blow of all to the town was the announcement early in 1986 of the closure of St. Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital which was the major employer in the area. The closure was postponed and did not take place in 1986 or in 1987 but, with the accelerated cut in spending on the health services, this institution will go in 1988. This will mean a loss of a further 200 jobs in the Castlerea region.
I might mention that on 29 January, less than one week ago, there were 891 people registered unemployed at Castlerea employment exchange. On 30 November 1987 the number of unemployed registered in Castlerea was 715 and, on 30 November 1986 the number was 759. Fifty per cent of all the people out of work in County Roscommon live in the catchment area of Castlerea employment exchange. Like most western rural areas, the region has been very badly hit by emigration. A recent survey in the area showed that almost 19 per cent of the population in this area were 65 years and over. The county average for County Roscommon of people of 65 years and over is 15 per cent. The figure of 19 per cent of people of 65 years and over is up by almost 2 per cent on a similar survey carried out just a year ago. I make this point to illustrate the effect recent emigration has had and is having on the young working population of the area.
Another graphic illustration of the effects of emigration and recession on the community can be gleaned by the fact that on 31 December there were ten major commercial properties in the town of Castlerea up for sale. I might quote from a recent survey carried out by the county development team for County Roscommon which states:
Recent studies have indicated that social disadvantage in Ireland has a marked western distribution. Roscommon County falls well into this category. The highest relative social disadvantage within the county is located in the northern and western areas. Castlerea and its hinterland is in this western location and the town and catchment area is generally more disadvantaged within an already disadvantaged county.
Let us leave aside for a moment the arguments to be advanced that a community such as Castlerea, so devastated by recent economic trends — should be helped by decentralisation. Let us examine the most potent and telling arguments of all for locating the headquarters of this national forest enterprise in this town. Castlerea is right in the centre of the whole western region of Ireland. For a variety of good economic reasons, directly related to forestry, the national forestry company or the national forest enterprise, call it what you will, should be located here.
If one examines the pattern of afforestation in Ireland one will find that approximately 45 per cent of the forest land is located in what is called the western region, that is all the counties of Connacht, including County Clare, and the three Ulster counties. Furthermore, if one slightly broadens the region to include counties such as Longford, part of Westmeath and Offaly then one finds that over 50 per cent of all the available land is of marginal use only in conventional agricultural enterprise or is totally unsuitable for conventional agriculture altogether. All these lands are highly suitable for forestry.
I might now quote from a soil survey, bulletin No. 38, issued in 1983 by the Agricultural Institute which stated:
Nationally there are 1.5 million hectares of wet lowland mineral soils in Ireland. Just under 1 million hectares of this land is located in the western package area and 0.5 million hectares are located in what is called the drumlin belt in the north-west, that is Counties Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Donegal and north Mayo. Castlerea is ideally located, being almost in the centre of this land region.
In addition, there has been a traditional resistance among small, medium and indeed large farmers to sell their poor or marginal land for afforestation, or show a great reluctance to develop it as forest land themselves. Part of the reason for this was that nationally, we never had a sustained vigorous forestry policy, never since independence.
Some apologists for certain Governments in the past would take issue with me on that but the fact remains that Ireland has the lowest wooded area in the EC; 6 per cent only of our total land area is under forest, whereas, for example, in France, 27 per cent of the land is under trees and 29 per cent in Germany. In the UK it is as low as 9 per cent. The European average for area of land growing commercial trees is 21 per cent of total land available for all purposes. Some of the reasons for the reluctance and the resistance to forestry, especially in those regions where there exist the greatest potential for forestry in terms of suitable land and an ideal climate for growing — here I am broadly speaking of the western region — was the fact that the Department of Forestry always was Dublin-based and, of course, was governed by the anti-action, anti-commercial heavy hand of a Civil Service Department.
Moving our national forestry effort away from the Civil Service would be a marvellous departure for the good. I am not blaming the Civil Service in making these statements. They have had their practices, there have been the traditional rules by which they have done things and, since they were very much part of the tradition, it was no fault of the civil servants. But they were never commercially-minded and, as a result, were often anti-action. The removal of these headquarters out of Dublin to the heartland of the greatest acreage of national forest and, as I have explained, to the heartland of where by far the greatest potential exists in terms of suitable land for increased afforestation undoubtedly points to Castlerea. I am convinced also, that, for a new forestry drive and policy to succeed, with a new commercially-orientated management structure, its headquarters must be moved out of the capital. There is a prejudice against forestry to be broken among those who have the first basic ingredient, the land. New national EC incentives to move out of low-intensity agriculture, out of inappropriate land use, can succeed only if all aspects get off on the right foot. Location, especially in the minds of those who will have the most crucial part to play in making that policy succeed, the landowners, will be mightily important.
In finalising the case for Castlerea I might dwell a little again on the attractions of the town and the area as an ideal location for the decentralisation of a State or a semi-State body. Some remarks I made earlier in this submission could give the impression of a depressed and melancholy place: that it is not the case. Yes, it is suffering more than most places the effects of recession and economic change but there the gloom ends.
In every other respect the ambience of the place makes it a most pleasant location to live in, with a population of approximately 2,000 people in the town and within its immediate environs. It has a totally uncrowded atmosphere. It has excellent schools and soon work will commence on a new large community secondary school there. It rests within very easy distance of two regional technical colleges, in Sligo and Athlone. It is located about 45 miles from Galway and its university. It has an excellent golf course, swimming pool, GAA facilities and other recreational facilities. Culturally it has Clonalis House with its priceless treasury, objects, ancient manuscripts of historic documents. They are all an important part of the history of Ireland. The crime rate is as close to zero as damn is to swearing. Housing and building land is very plentiful and cheap. In every way it is an ideal location for new people to go and live in because it has ample spare capacity in everything that makes for a good quality of life.
There our case rests. I gather that there are approximately 3,000 people employed in the Forest and Wildlife Service, approximately 900 of these work in the administration in Dublin, the remainder work countrywide. Decentralisation and the proposed new commercial role that would mean relocating and indeed reorientating this administrative staff in their work practices in every way will mean a new beginning and a new departure. I submit that the best place to start a badly-needed revolution in our forestry industry, with all the potential it holds for the whole country, is Castlerea.
I might first, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, thank you, the Cathaoir-leach and Senators for welcoming me back to the Seanad. As you know, I spent a number of very happy years here.
I will deal now with the Adjournment Matter. It is somewhat premature to consider this question prior to the establishment of the new forest company. Nonetheless it is a very important issue. I know and understand the interest that has developed in many of our towns and cities at the prospect of the location of a major State office in their area. Senators will appreciate that it is not a decision that can be made without very careful consideration of all the relevant factors.
At this point I must emphasise that no specific decision has been taken to relocate the headquarters of the forest company outside Dublin, where they are at present located, but the Government will consider the appropriateness of any such decision in due course on its merits.
The principal concern now is to bring the enabling legislation to the Oireachtas as soon as possible. I am pleased to say that we are coming to the very final stages of preparation. I hope to have the Bill printed within the very near future. In the eventual decision on the location of the headquarters of the forest company the Government will be concerned with two major considerations, namely, their well established policy of maximising the potential for decentralisation of Government offices, as evidenced by recent decisions, and the particular organisational factors of the forestry company.
The policy of decentralising suitable Government offices has long been on the agenda of this Government during their present term and, indeed, previous terms of office. It was in 1980 that the original programme was initiated by the Government, involving 12 centres throughout the country. Regretfully this programme was abandoned by the previous Administration. The confidence of our people in the present Government's policy, in their ability and determination to carry out those policies was not misplaced. The evidence is there for all to see.
There can be no doubt about the commitment of the Government to their programme outlined in the budget of 1987. The first phase involved the relocation of Government offices to Ballina, Cavan, Galway and Sligo. In November last my colleague, the Minister for Finance, announced that developers for this phase had been selected and that a total of 850 staff would be relocated from Dublin to those centres. It is expected that this phase will be completed by mid-1989.
In addition to this phase, a further eight centres have been selected, namely, Limerick, Killarney, Nenagh, Letterkenny, Ennis, Waterford, Athlone and Dundalk. In excess of 2,000 staff from the Departments of Education, Justice, Social Welfare and the Revenue Commissioners will be transferred to these centres.
This is the most ambitious programme of decentralisation in the State's history. I do not think anybody can be in any doubt as to the determination of the Government to share out the benefit of Government offices throughout the country. It is in this context that I will be examining carefully the various representations made to me on the suitability of particular locations, along with the relevant organisation factors, before making a proposal to Government.
In regard to the issue of the location of the headquarters of the forestry company, I should say there are many organisational factors which impinge on this decision and which must be considered. Any such decision must first take account of the most advantageous, strategic location for the headquarters of a major new semi-State company which already has forests and offices in every county. At present approximately 95 per cent of the staff of the organisation are located outside Dublin.
I know Senator Connor is very interested in this matter but I want to clear up one point in relation to the numbers he attributes to the forestry administration in Dublin. I think I understood him to say there were 900 in administration in Dublin. The actual figure is 250 so that, at present, over 90 per cent of all our staff are located throughout the country, indeed in every county.
In establishing this commercial enterprise to undertake the future development of the forestry, the Government are conscious of the likelihood that the board of the new company may consider an early review of the present structure of the organisation. A major review of this nature by the board is likely to form part of an overall drive towards efficiency of operation and the most effective use and deployment of resources. While I cannot pre-empt the outcome of such a review I believe it will involve the establishment of regional headquarters and a delegation of greater responsibility and authority to those regions. These regional headquarters will also probably involve the transfer of some staff units from the main headquarters of the company.
In addition to these considerations, of course, the Government will also consider the cost of any proposal, the availability of suitable accommodation and the legitimate interests of the staff of the organisation. I know the Senator is naturally interested in furthering the interests of his constituents. A number of my colleagues in different parts of the country, including the Senators' colleagues, have put forward similar proposals to me in relation to the establishment of a new forest company headquarters in their areas. However, the Senator will appreciate that I am anxious to ensure that the location of the new company does not become a political football. This Government have already made great strides in our new decentralisation programme. Every new development, including the forestry company headquarters, will be carefully considered in due course.
May I just make one point? I welcome most of the Minister's comments. I am disappointed he had not positive news for me of locating the headquarters in Castlerea. Nevertheless, he did stress the importance of strategic location and of the fact that its location would not become a political football. I hope that our arguments, in terms of strategic location, will be well borne in mind. We highlighted many facts which would certainly point to the location mentioned being most strategic one in the country.
Could the Senator visualise a situation in the country, in which any representative, representing any constituency, would be able to claim almost exclusively the same credit for his or her town. At this stage I do not want this discussion to proceed in that direction. It was merely in that context that I have referred to a political football. I know the motion is genuine.
I could not visualise that other public representatives could make as telling arguments as I have made because of the strategic location of the area, where so much of the existing State forest exists, where so much of the potential for extended State forests or private forests exists. That is the main plank of our argument.
I know the strength of argument that can be advanced by people coming from Roscommon but I think the Senator would be underestimating his colleagues in the rest of the country if he did not think they would be able to compete with him.
The Seanad adjourned at 5 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 February 1988.