Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Feb 1994

Vol. 139 No. 6

Developing the West Together Report: Statements.

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. Gallagher,

Donegal South-West): Cuireann sé an-lúcháir orm an deis seo a fháil chun labhairt thar ceann an Rialtais sa tSeanad inniú maidir leis an tuarascáil dheiridh ón eagraíocht Developing the West Together. Mar Theachta Dála ón iar-thuaisceart agus mar Aire Stáit a bhfuil freagracht speisialta orm i leith na Gaeltachta, is dóigh liom go bhfuil sé d'údarás agam a rá go bhfuil tuiscint maith agam ar na fadhbanna atá idir chaibidil sa tuarascáil sin. Beidh focal ar leith le rá agam faoin Ghaeltacht ar ball.

I commend all those who have shown initiative and perseverance over a long period in compiling this comprehensive analysis of socio-economic conditions in the west of Ireland and the expertise demonstrated in bringing forward policy recommendations to improve this most peripheral area of Europe.

The analysis and recommendations for policy are important in that they represent the various perspectives and key development priorities of the people living in the west. As we know, Developing the West Together is an organisation established by the Catholic bishops of Connacht and Donegal to spearhead the efforts of people living in the west to achieve greater development of the resources of the region. The report represents consensus views of a number of core groups who have identified the potential of the area and recommended strategic approaches to exploit that potential.

This report merits a positive response. The various recommendations will receive detailed consideration in the relevant Departments. The integrated nature of the recommendations, however, required an integrated response from the Government. The report calls for the appointment of a Minister for the west but in view of the functional rather than geographic basis for ministerial responsibility, this is not a feasible option. The Government has, however, decided to establish a high level task force to be chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach to examine and advise on the recommendations in the report.

The task force will have specific terms of reference. First, to assess the recommendations of the report and bring forward proposals to Government as to the actions to be taken and, second, to make recommendations to Government on the most appropriate institutional response. This task force will comprise representatives from a number of relevant Departments, including the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, from local bodies in the region and the steering group of Developing the West Together. The task force is being asked to complete its work and report to the Government within two months. The first function of the task force will be to consider the recommendations in the report in the context of current policy initiatives, in particular those detailed in the Programme for Government, the National Development Plan and most recently in the new Programme for Competitiveness and Work which was agreed with the social partners.

At the recent launch of the report, A Crusade for Survival, the Taoiseach spoke of the key priorities for the west as outlined in the report. These are job creation, combating unemployment, promoting economic activity based on natural resources, improving the transport infrastructure and encouraging tourism and, of course, local development initiatives. The Government has set out the same key priorities in the National Development Plan to be pursued with the assistance of Structural Funds over the period 1994-99. We now have a unique opportunity to achieve these objectives. The social and economic measures announced in the budget are designed to complement the measures in the plan so as to form a cohesive framework for development.

One of the recurring themes in A Crusade for Survival is the need to bring a local dimension to the strategic planning for the western region. I am pleased to say that both the European Union and the Government recognise and concur with this philosophy. The process of devolving decision making to a more local level has already begun. The Leader programme is a major Community initiative in empowering local communities to initiate economic activity in their areas. I am glad to say that a number of groups in the west have demonstrated the potential of this initiative. While details of the new Community initiatives are still under negotiation, it is the Government's intention that the Leader programme will be repeated and greatly expanded.

The Government, for its part, prompted by the success of the area based response to long-term unemployment under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, has developed a local development programme as a key element in the national plan. The programme through its various elements gives the opportunity to all communities, including those in west and Donegal, to exploit the natural resources and competitive advantages of their areas through support for new economic activities.

The working and living conditions of the people of the areas will be improved through programmes for education, training, work experience and community and environmental developments. These are being promoted through country enterprise boards and in designated disadvantaged areas through area partnerships. The Government has recently designated the disadvantaged areas for this purpose, including significant parts of the region covered by the report which we are currently discussing. These new structures will operate in tandem with Departments and State agencies to maximise the impact of the plan measures in the relevant areas. The recommendations in A Crusade for Survival will form an important policy input in this process.

Faoi mar a luaigh mé cheana, tá freagracht speisialta i leith na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta orm mar Aire Stáit ag an Roinn Ealaíon, Cultúir agus Gaeltachta. Níl amhras ach go bhfuil na fadhbanna céanna á bhfulaingt ag an Ghaeltacht is atá ag an iarthar trí chéile agus tá aitheantas tugtha ag an Rialtas do na fadhbanna sin tríd an soláthar atá i gceist a chur ar fáil don Ghaeltacht faoin bPlean Forbartha Náisiunta 1994-1997.

Tá suim £77milliúin sonraithe faoin bplean, mar fho-chlár den chlár tionscail, lena chaitheamh d'fhonn forbairt tionscail a chur chun cinn sa Ghaeltacht. Measann Údarás na Gaeltachta go gcruthófar 3,600 post nua lánaimseartha ar a laghad le linn tréimshe an phlean — meán de 600 post in aghaidh na bliana — gan trácht ar mhéadú cuimsitheach ar líon na bpost lánaimseartha agus páirtaimseartha séasúracha.

Ar ndóigh, tá obair nach beag á déanamh ag an Údarás cheana féin le tacaíocht an Rialtais chun deiseanna fostaíochta breise a chruthú do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Cruthaíodh 879 bpost nua lánaimseartha ar an bhfód i 1993 agus, tar éis caillteanais a chur san áireamh, bhí méadú glan de 204 phost sa bhliain sin. Ba é sin an méadú glan ba mhó le ceithre bhliain anuas agus an 12ú bhliain i ndiaidh a chéile ina raibh glanmhéadú san fhostaíocht i dtionscail faoi scáth na heagraíochta, sin Údarás na Gaeltachta: tá ardmholadh tuillte ag an Údarás da bharr. Chomh maith leis sin, tháinig méadú de 330 ar líon na bpost shéasúracha sa Ghaeltacht le linn 1993 — ó 2,580 duine i 1992 go dtí buaicphointe 2,910 duine i 1993.

Ní miste a lua chomh maith go bhfuil suim speisialta £8 milliúin sonraithe laistigh de chlár iascaireachta den Phlean Forbartha Náisiúnta chun feabhas a chur ar shaoráidí calaíochta sa Ghaeltacht. Tá i gceist díriú ach go háirithe ar shaoráidí lena mbaineann tábhacht ar leith do na hoileáin amach ón gcósta. Ar ndóigh, cabhróidh na hoibreacha a dheanfar le forbairt na h-iascaireachta chomh maith le cúrsaí farantóireachta. Is cúis sásaimh ar leith domsa go bhfuil soláthar déanta sa chlár oibre sin do thógáil saoráidí oiriúnacha calaíochta ar Thoraigh.

Tá mé cinnte gur chun tairbhe na Gaeltachta agus a muintire a rachaidh an soláthar iomlán £85 milliúin atá i gceist ag an Rialtas a chur ar fáil don Ghaeltacht faoin bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta 1994-1997.

The problems in the west and, indeed, other disadvantaged areas around the country — including the Gaeltacht — do not have immediate solutions. Progress however, will be achieved through a planned, sustained and integrated approach involving a partnership of Government, State agencies, the social partners and local communities. The process has begun in the west and the Government for their part are committed to slowing the downward spiral of economic activity, emigration and unemployment in the region.

The task force which has been established will ensure that the many detailed recommendations in this report, A Crusade for Survival, are fully considered and that action will be taken, as indeed it is being taken across the full range of relevant policy issues. This is a far more effective approach than designating a Minister which, apart from being at variance with the basis on which Ministers are appointed, would give no guarantee of effective action in all the Departments and agencies involved. The establishment of this task force will also enable the Government to give detailed consideration to alternative institutional arrangements which would be an appropriate and effective means of underpinning development in the region as part of our national approach to development.

Faoi mar is eol do Sheanadóirí, tá ráite go soiléir ag an Taoiseach go bhfuil an Rialtas réidh chun a chuid a dhéanamh sa chomhpháirtíocht ar mhaithe leis an iarthair agus Dún na nGall atá iarrtha sa tuarascáil atá á plé anseo inniu. Is dóigh liom go bhfuil céim atá stuama agus éifeachtach á glacadh ag an Rialtas anois chun na críche sin tríd an mheitheal oibre ard leibhéil a bhunú agus táim cinnte go mbeidh tacaíocht dá réir le fáil ón Seanad.

Mr. Burke

I welcome the Minister to the House. As he is from the west, I am sure that he will do all in his power to see that the report on the survival of the west is put in place and that some sort of development board will be set up there in the near future, because if he intends to go for greener pastures I am sure that people will reward him for such action. I have no doubt at all in that regard.

Mr. Gallagher

(Donegal South-West): It might be necessary to put me there first.

Mr. Burke

It is a sad state of affairs when I have to stand up here and speak about the survival of the west. The west is the most disadvantaged area in the European Union. This country would not have received the £8 billion we have been allocated were it not for this region. This country is getting this large amount of money on the backs of the people of the west. That is why I have to stand here today and defend those people. Sadly, this Government is presiding over the demise of the west and that is why we are all speaking here today.

A Crusade for Survival is a positive document. It deserves a positive response from the Government. One of the main proposals is the call for a western development board which would have responsibility for planning and overseeing the development of the region. It is not an outrageous demand. The regional boards are nothing new. The Shannon Free Airport Development Company has been operating in the midwest region for many years and has done much good work there. Jobs have been created and infrastructure built up. The region was thriving until the Government made the disastrous decision in relation to the transatlantic flights. The concept of regional boards is not unknown in Europe, which is far more advanced than the west of Ireland. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, all have regional development boards. Even that great bastion of centralised government, Britain, has established regional development boards, so why do we not do so here?

The big problem here, probably the only problem about setting up a regional development board, is that Fine Gael has already proposed it and is fully committed to setting up a regional board. Fine Gael sees great merit in setting up this board. We see it as a necessity for the survival of the west. This Government and the last Government have stolen many fine Fine Gael proposals and I call on the Taoiseach and this Government to implement the Fine Gael policy here and set up a western development board. In doing so the Government will give a clear indication that it does care about the west and its development.

The west is in a state of crisis and immediate Government action is needed. The "Developing the West Together" report describes the west as facing real threats to its future and uses population figures and trends to underpin the extent of the difficulties which the people of the region have to confront. The latest projections arising from the study of Connacht and Donegal are based on information from the 1991 census which indicates that the situation is set for disaster. It is now estimated that by the year 2011 the total population of the west which is 551,000, will fall by a further 110,000 people. That is approximately 20 per cent. Based on past experiences it is likely that a large number of these will be young people.

The study sets the agenda for Government action by demanding that it declare its active support for the process of regeneration of the west and to formally recognise the need for the highest priorities to be given to the development of the region in order to create circumstances which will arrest the decline in population and improve the standard of living. It also requests the Government to prepare immediately a Green Paper setting out its policy priorities for the west and specify the level of financial resources to be devoted to its development under operational programmes of the National Development Plan 1994-1999. This should take full account of the financial consequences of this report and should not be bound by levels of funding set out in the plan published last year.

When we talk about depopulation we are not only talking about an unacceptable decline in numbers, but about a threat to a particular way of life. Rather than talking about abandoned homes and deserted villages, I prefer to say there are positive features of our western life which deserve to survive. These features include a full family and communal life which has been slowly sucked dry by emigration; an essential balance between young and old and a normal pattern of marriage and birth which a dying community cannot supply; a literary, musical and cultural inheritance which is still part of an ongoing tradition and which deserves a better future than being on records or tapes; and the Gaelic conscience of that inheritance, invaluable in itself and in its cultural ramifications, which has an active life in the western region and which has not been seen elsewhere.

Apart from depopulation, another compelling reason for developing the west is that the region is seriously disadvantaged, in spite of inherited advantages such as scenery, the environment and an existing industrial base. I am talking about poor roads, lost railways, extra costs to bring goods to the markets, high unemployment, low incomes, persistent poverty and rampant emigration. Only 36 per cent of the land and region can be classed as good agricultural land, compared to 50 per cent of the State as a whole.

Family farm incomes bear no comparison with the east of the country. According to a Teagasc survey in 1991, the average family farm income in the west is less than £4,000 and represents only 43 per cent of income in the east. The average household income, as distinct from farm income, is 10 to 11 per cent below the national average. There is a perception that poverty and unemployment are more prevalent in the inner cities, but this is not the case. Rural poverty and unemployment are destructive realities. Since 1980 long-term unemployment has been approximately 4 per cent higher in Connacht and County Donegal than in the entire State.

A great challenge faces the west, but not only in relation to the mass exodus of young people from its shores. People believe it is an impossible task to maintain the level of population under the present economic climate. The Western People stated that the number of people remaining in the west is as plentiful as good potatoes during the famine. The famine of opportunity and employment is destroying the crop of young people. Those who leave have no other choice and they take with them the west's means of survival. The youth of the west are under threat because the small industrial and manufacturing base in the west cannot offer realistic employment. It is sad to read the headlines in the western provincial newspapers: “Nothing To Keep Young People At Home”; “Where Am I Going?”; “Lawyers And Doctors Are More Fashionable Than Farmers”; “What Is There To Come Back To?”; and “As Bad As The 1950s”. Mass exodus of young people must be stemmed when the age pyramid points to a slow death.

I congratulate the bishops and groups for bringing A Crusade for Survival to a conclusion. They have mobilised public opinion and created public awareness of the problems we face in the west. I call on the Taoiseach and the Government to appoint a Minister and a Department for western development which could be based in the west. The main objectives in the report are to focus attention on the depopulation, poverty and unemployment problems in the west and it suggests realistic strategies for tackling them. It also calls for policies to help the underprivileged and the long-term unemployed and it has a set of recommendations for those facing emigration and for the urban and rural poor. The Government must recognise the urgency of the crisis in the west and give the highest priority to the development of the region in order to provide the jobs which are needed to arrest the population decline, to eliminate poverty and to raise living standards.

The study urges local people to participate fully and to take responsibility for planning and implementing policies which are needed to regenerate the west. It recommends the development of a series of urban centres with the potential for job creation around which growth should be concentrated. This would benefit rural areas through population retention and increased spending power. The report also calls for the establishment of a pig development programme, soft loans for grants, the transfer of milk quotas and livestock premiums and the mobilisation of local and overseas financial support for development.

Perhaps the west should be a tax free zone and special concessions should be given to the west. The Government must seriously consider what has been said by public representatives, the bishops, the communities, the media and A Crusade For Survival. There is an onus on the Government to give the same commitment to the west as it is giving to the east. As I have said before, the money is being given to Ireland because the west is so disadvantaged.

I could not let this opportunity pass without drawing attention to the regional technical college for County Mayo. Conflicting views have been expressed by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Education about what third level courses will be provided in County Mayo. I ask the Minister to clarify this with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Education.

Mr. McGowan

I join with other speakers in welcoming the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Gallagher to the House. He has a basic sound knowledge of how important it is to develop plans for the west, north-west and the Border counties.

I support the bishops'Crusade for Survival and, as one who has attended most of the meetings, including the launch of the report in Castlebar on 3 February, I have followed the progress of the bishops' initiative. I would like to put on the record of this House that while I strongly commend and welcome the initiative taken by the bishops, credit must be given to the late Monsignor Horan who laid the foundations for developing the west, because he did not preach to others what they should do. He built an airport in the west where it was needed. Those of us who showed an interest at the time realised the major task which Monsignor Horan undertook. This was a foundation stone of great importance. We followed the campaign which the late Monsignor Horan embarked upon to get funding to complete the airport at Knock, County Mayo. He has left a monument to his good work in the west.

On 3 February, I attended the conference to launch this report in Castlebar and listened carefully to the speeches made by Archbishop Cassidy and the Taoiseach who was positive in his approach. Minister Gallagher was also present. He is aware of the commitment given by the Taoiseach. Aid and support from whatever source is not regionally designated, it is project-led. Nobody in rural Ireland can expect to get funding for a specific region or area, it has to be based on projects.

There are enough agencies, including the county enterprise boards. The latter have been described as bottom-up operations to which communities submit proposals for small projects; anything from making curtains to collecting and processing seaweed. There is a very big provision to cover every kind of project you could mention in the west. The challenge goes back to the people living there. We must do more than cry and complain about depopulation. I have serious reservations about that because it is counter-productive to talk about the population of a county being halved in 35 years. An industrialist has to be tough and must take care in setting up an enterprise. It must be economically viable and be based in an area where it will be supported.

I disagree with the references in the Archibishop's speech of 3 February that one can cry to the point where nobody listens. You can criticise your area but who are you blaming at the end of the day? Opposition Senators have blamed everybody. It is easy to do that when you are not expected to deliver. It is easy to say you had a plan which the Government is implementing. The Opposition can be extravagant and expound as much as they like but the average little fellow has enough time and patience to assess that there is no magic miracle button. I was closely involved and watched the proposals and submissions for the study being put together in the crusade to save the west.

In County Donegal, between cross-Border reports and the Sligo-Leitrim reports, we have had five studies costing in excess of £1 million in seven years. It is important to make a submission, record your plans and put them formally before the Government and the EU for support. We went down that road as far as was humanly possible, recognising the problems on the ground and how to create jobs. It is counter-productive to keep saying that we are so remote, have no third level college, that people want to leave and when they are educated in another centre they never return. We have to look at this cooly and calmly and ask ourselves, if we had an opportunity to set up a small industry, would it be in Cricklewood in London or in Castlebar. All things being equal, the beauty and tranquility of the west — of counties Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon in particular — and the standard of living and quality of life there, is far superior to elsewhere in Europe. We have undersold ourselves down the years. Only the large companies setting up pharmaceutical industries recognise the benefit of being based in a rural part of Europe where there is no air pollution. They have all the advantages including electricity and a trained labour force which they do not have in other parts of the world.

I support the initiative by the bishops. It is in keeping with initiatives taken in other parts of the west, including my county. I hope that people who live there — the business and young educated people — will not see this document as being for public representatives and Government Ministers. In fact, this document is for consumption in the west. The people there will have to recognise that this initiative points to them and to the start-up ability they have to have in providing jobs.

If anybody thinks that this document is for Government consideration and the EU will recognise our need and produce a cheque, they are wrong because that is not going to happen. It is folly to mislead people and say we have been trying to do something for years. The youth and future generations in the west will not thank us for misleading them and trying to make political capital out of something that is real problem. There is enough understanding at Government level, and support from the Taoiseach down, to offer maximum assistance and get maximum support from the EU for developing the west together. When I say the west I mean the north-west. I am pleased that at the launch of the document A Crusade for Survival in Castlebar, our bishop from Donegal, Bishop Seamus Hegarty, was invited to join the platform party. That was important because Donegal considers itself part of the west and part of the area that has to be developed.

I am pleased the Minister has been able to attend this debate today. No Senator has to preach to him about having a better understanding of the situation. The Minister is from the west, from Dungloe in County Donegal. It is fair to commend the people of that district on their initiative in setting up small industries. Whether it is gathering seaweed, fishing, making garments, or tourism, Donegal people have given a lead that others should follow.

There is no easy way to achieve success and create jobs. It must be done by the people on the ground and there never was a more opportune time. The incentives and supports present this generation with a opportunity. We must encourage those responsible to take off their coats and get involved in creating jobs. It is not big industrialists from outside who are going to solve our problems, whether it is Digital in Galway that creates 500 or 600 jobs and goes in a few years after the tax concessions run out, or others. The small industry that employs four or five people must be nurtured and supported. That opportunity exists but it will not last.

This initiative encourages us to believe in ourselves, and I welcome it. We should stop criticising the Government and the public representatives because at the end of the day the people themselves must deliver support. There has been criticism of elected representatives who are expected to deliver the support. That is an inconsistency.

I welcome the launch of "Developing the West Together". Donegal is part of the west and the county welcomes this report. We will be there with our coats off ready to help the bishops in any initiative undertaken in the west of Ireland.

Mr. Burke

If there is anybody left.

Mr. Quinn

I welcome the Minister. I also welcome this debate because it is an opportunity to highlight the problem to which I drew attention when I spoke on the national plan some months ago.

There is a danger, which this report graphically documents, that the west will lose critical mass. If that happens the region will decline even more rapidly than heretofore. Until now there has been a relatively slow shift in the country's centre of gravity. It is a shift from the west of the country towards the east and unless we act quickly we will see an acceleration of that trend. The west will decline in a vicious spiral.

A symptom of this trend is the behaviour of the foreign manufacturing companies which the IDA attracts to this country. Most of the companies which come to Ireland do not want to cross the Shannon, not even to look at prospective locations. Some months ago I attended the opening of the Heinz factory in Dundalk. The factory produces frozen pizzas and the reason Dundalk was chosen as its location was due to its proximity to the export ports of Lame and Dublin. There is a considerable advantage for somebody who is producing a fresh food product to locate on the east coast rather than placing themselves at a disadvantage on the west coast. Even in those instances when companies can be enticed to the west, they seldom want to consider locations outside the major centres of Galway and Shannon.

We would be very foolish to believe that we could bribe companies to locate in the west by offering them even greater incentives. That will not work anymore. Last month in America I met an American industrialist who told me that he sits on the boards of a number of companies. On hearing that I was from Ireland he told me what a wonderful country it was for a holiday. However, he told me that he has committed himself to recommending to each of the boards on which he sits that the companies do not open factories in Ireland which employ people. That gave me a jolt. When I pressed him for more information he told me that his companies had opened factories in Ireland but they had found it too difficult to close those factories when the market went against them. It was too difficult to disemploy people. It is a jolt for us when we are trying to encourage industry in Ireland, to find that, we cannot easily bribe people to locate here if they do not really want to do so. That is only a short term solution. We must get the infrastructure right if we are to succeed.

Bribery is, at best, only a short term solution. If a location does not make good commercial sense it must be faced that, sooner or later, it will no longer exist. The answer is not to look for more of the medicine that has not worked before. The answer is to look for new solutions that are firmly based on the new realities. The central new reality is that the eastern side of the country has progressively become much more attractive as a location for manufacturing. As time passes it will become even more attractive.

Instead of trying to hold back the tide like King Canute, we should look at how we can develop the west in a way that builds on its strengths. Tourism is one of those strengths. We should blatantly favour the west in developing tourism and recognise that its potential is perhaps the greatest factor in the creation of wealth in the west. As a symbol of that we should relocate the headquarters of Bord Fáilte to the west. I suggested that last week and I notice that it is now being considered as an option.

Second, services which can be delivered through telecommunications are not disadvantaged as a result of distance. Commercially it does not matter where they are located, so the west can compete on equal terms for those services. From a national point of view we should direct the bulk of Ireland's activity in that sector to the west of Ireland. We should virtually reserve those activities for the west. We should do that by agressively locating Government services on the other side of the Shannon. We should locate, in addition to Bord Fáilte, the meteorological office there. We should also consider locating the new aviation authority there. If we make a national decision to balance the industrial losses by building up the west's portfolio of services, there is much we can do very quickly. It is under our control. The decentralisation that has taken place thus far has been giving lip service to an idea that could be a major part of our national strategy.

Agriculture is a strength that must not be allowed to die. I suggest that we encourage farmers in the west of Ireland to specialise in labour intensive, high value production, such as organic farming. It is not a huge market sector, but it is a fine niche market. People in Europe who are interested in organic farming value the image we have created — an image that is deserved in the west of Ireland. There is a growing market for that produce and the west could make that market its niche.

We must look for ways to address the problem. I do not have much faith in the value of appointing a Minister for the west. It is interesting to hear the Minister disagree with the suggestion. That would be a way of sweeping the problem under a Kildare Street carpet. However, I see a place for an active action group that is independent of Government and which can act as a permanent voice in that region. I am delighted that the Minister has talked about a task force. If this problem is to be addressed, let alone solved, it will be as a result of what the people of the west do by working together. This document is an example of that. If that happens, they will have to include all the western seaboard. This report omits County Clare, which is a critical area of the western synergy.

Let us not let this report gather dust on a library shelf. I was delighted to hear Senator McGowan refer to that danger. He talked of five studies having been conducted in the past which cost over £1 million. Let us ensure that this document does not gather dust. Even if we do not decide to implement its specific recommendations, let us accept its diagnosis and determine to do something about it. If we do not take action now, the next time the country focuses on this problem could be many years away and the problems could be many times worse. Let us do something now rather than just talk about it.

Ms Gallagher

An bhfuil cead agam cúig nóiméid den am a thabhairt do Sheanadóir Cashin?

Acting Chairman (Mr. Finneran)

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Ms Gallagher

I congratulate the western bishops on bringing forward this document which I hope will lead to some action to deal with the problems facing the west and its people. I want to get one thing straight and I will be blunt about it. The bishops stated in the briefing document, and I quote:

In the past, successive Governments have recognised the specific needs of the west and have actively adopted policies in favour of the region in agriculture, tourism, industrial policy and infrastructure.

I disagree with this. It is untrue. This document should have attacked this Government and previous Governments for never recognising the specific needs of the west. Previous Governments have implemented policies in favour of disadvantaged areas in an ad hoc manner but these have never been exclusively applied to the west. Central Government in Dublin has failed the people of the west and I make no bones about it. From the foundation of the State they have failed to develop coherent policies to tackle the disadvantages suffered by those living west of the Shannon. All Governments have failed and all political parties have failed.

This problem does not relate just to jobs. I listened to the last speaker talking about how to get jobs into the west and what we should and should not do. This is about isolation; for example, not being able to get to the local doctor in times of emergency. This is an everyday fact and is the result of many problems combined that make it impossible for people to live outside of towns. It is a serious problem and warrants discussion.

Eamon de Valera spoke of maidens dancing at the crossroads in rural Ireland. What did he expect those maidens to live on? Fresh air, or should I say hot air? As a maiden from the west I wish to outline to town and city colleagues here and to those in the Cabinet some of the disadvantages suffered by virtue of my birthplace. I was born and raised in Kinlough, a village in north County Leitrim, the second of seven children. It could be said that my parents did their best to increase the population in that county.

As a four-year old I remember taking the school bus to the national school three miles away — a frightening experience. As children we never got home for lunch because we lived in the country. As junior infants we did not get home early as we had to wait until after school finished and then we went home with the other children. While at secondary school we had to wait for a half hour every evening for the school bus to complete one run before returning to pick us up and zigzag its way home along a circuitous route. In other words, it took us an hour to travel the three mile journey home, and children in the town had had their dinner and settled into their homework long before we reached our front door.

I am not being petty. The reality is that living in the country is difficult because one cannot avail of the same services that exist in towns and cities. This places one at a disadvantage in terms of education, socialising, work, etc. If one lives in the town and finds that one has run out of milk it is not a big problem because one can go out to the local shop. It is a problem or a complication in the country because one has to get into the car — if one has a car — and go to town for the milk. Everything is more difficult and that is the point I am trying to make today.

At 17 years of age I started my third level education in Trinity College, Dublin. Dublin based students have no difficulty in adjusting to college life. It just means a different bus route. For me and many others it meant leaving home for the first time, finding a flat and dealing with unscrupulous landlords; finding one's way around, learning about the bus routes, doing the shopping, washing and cleaning. After all that, college was just a minute detail. This places students who come from the country at a disadvantage. Our time was spent adjusting to city life while city students got on with their studies. Perhaps it did not do me any harm but many of my fellow students and friends did not manage so well and that should be remembered.

Think of those left at home. My parents raised seven children so one can imagine how busy the household was. We all had to leave home at an early age to be educated. Only my parents remain at home now. Of those who went to primary school with me I doubt if more than two of them live in the same village. When one is from the west one is generally forced to leave home to go to college. Unless one lives along a bus route to the regional technical colleges in Galway, Sligo or Letterkenny or one lives close to University College Galway it is not possible to stay at home.

Aside from education one must leave home to get work. Unless one works in a job in a nearby town one must travel elsewhere. That is why every New Year's Day I witness the heartbreaking scenes in town centres where parents bring their children to wait for buses to take them to work in the cities, or to the airport, that will take our young people away for yet another year — mothers crying, fathers clapping their children on the back and wishing them well and young children looking bewildered. The grief that causes to families in the west is immeasurable.

Our Constitution proclaims the rights and virtues of the family yet all Governments have sat back and allowed families in the west to be torn asunder. I ask all politicians to sit in the town squares of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ballinasloe, County Galway or Manorhamilton, County Leitrim and witness the frightening exodus. Then, and only then, will politicians get their act together and develop coherent and comprehensive policies geared specifically for those in the west. That is not asking too much. We in the west suffer enough disadvantage and hardship.

My family now lives outside Tobercurry, County Sligo. There is no bus service from there to Dublin and, therefore, my brothers and sisters must be driven to Charlestown, ten miles away, to get a bus to take them there. Transport is a constant problem. I would not say that it is a problem exclusive to the west, but it is worse there because we are forced to travel further and more often than those living elsewhere to get essential services. I know of people living in Leitrim who depend on kidney dialysis and who have to travel the four hour trip to Dublin for that service and then back again. Think of the strain that places on those people and their families.

Let us talk about roads, contrary to what Senator Norris may wish us to do. In the western region we lack sufficient rail links and, therefore, we depend all the more on roads to link us with each other and with the larger centres. Money is badly needed for our county roads. Have our rural MEPs not made clear that this is where we want the money to go? This is essential. We need better roads to allow us better access to essential services, to doctors in emergencies, to shops and schools etc.

Rural Ireland is dying. Many houses dotted around the country lie empty. Many townlands in the west failed to make a return in the last census. How long can this decline continue? Are we all to be forced into towns and cities in order to have access to these services? What the bishops propose is worth considering Certainly, the members of the Government must at this late stage put their heads together and develop comprehensive policies to tackle the many problems faced by people in the west. I am pleased to report that the Parliamentary Labour Party has already formed a committee for this purpose.

I also urge the Government to take heed of the recommendations in the report on women and rural development recently published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Women's Rights. This report highlighted the isolation of women who live in the countryside and called for funding of local centres which would provide information for women in relation to health and social welfare issues. It also called for the provision of creche facilities to allow the women a little free time or time to do their shopping, and to give them a place where they could meet each other over a cup of coffee. I do not think that is asking for too much. I call on the Government and on the Minister for State here today to provide funding for such centres in villages in rural Ireland.

I am also anxious that villages and small towns in rural Ireland be given every chance for survival. Therefore, I am pleased to say that the Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach, has reversed a previous trend of amalgamating schools. I know from experience that the local school is a vital component in the make up of a rural community. A young couple will not build a house in an area which does not have a local school; business will not be attracted into an area where young families do not live because they, naturally, require to be near their market and the workforce. Therefore, Government assistance is required to maintain small schools in rural areas which will halt the domino effect of rural decline.

Third, we need to assist family businesses. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, provided an assistance package for small businesses in the budget, the best effort ever made by any Government. I hope there is more to come.

Mr. Reynolds

It is all right provided one is not running a business.

Ms Gallagher

The bishops' report makes many recommendation, including the provision of assistance to farmers to facilitate the transfer of milk quotas while keeping quota and other premium requirements in a specific region. This is a worthy recommendation as it would assist farmers anxious to maintain viable holdings.

The report also suggests ways for power to be given to local communities, a radical and badly needed move. The west is in decline because of the absence of democracy. We have a central Government with centralist policies. This creates a dependency under which people from the west have come to expect, hope and pray for handouts, and then count their blessings. There will be no maidens dancing at any crossroads in rural areas unless and until they form local community councils and obtain direct funding from the Government or Europe to allow them to cut out bureaucracy and red tape. That will allow them to provide the necessary services in their community.

Since Cromwellian times the west has got a raw deal and been given the leftovers. The phrase "To Hell or to Connacht" still rings true. Direct funding from Brussels in vital to counteract centuries of decline. Article 30a of the Maastricht Treaty refers to rural areas. The regional committee of the European Parliament will address the common problem of rural decline which should force changes in policies here. However, there seems to be a reluctance in these Houses to face the problems of people in the west with sufficient seriousness. We must seek direct funding from the EU to plug the holes draining the life blood from communities west of the Shannon. Urgent action is needed.

I am serious about what I have discussed today. I want my brothers and sisters to be able to find work at home and to have access to services others take for granted. The Government must coordinate policies to help the west.

More importantly, those who live in that region must be given the opportunity to address their problems. Local democracy is necessary to allow young people to have a say in providing for their future. This democracy must involve women who up to now have stayed at home or been involved in local charity fundraising, etc. Those people should be given the chance to determine their own future so that we no longer depend on the whims of faraway politicians and leftovers from central coffers. Action is needed now.

Mr. Cashin

I welcome A Crusade for Survival and I wish the bishops of the western seaboard well in this endeavour. I also congratulate the previous speaker. If there were more like her there would be no fears for the west.

The policies followed over the past two decades have produced two rural Irelands. One is doing relatively well; the other suffers from poverty, unemployment, expulsion and terminal decline. A long-term approach is needed if rural development policies are to be effective.

Investment in rural development does not yield quick returns. Those who invest in development know there is a long haul. A major incentive to such development is the assurance that supporting socioeconomic structures are also reliable for the long term. In the past we have seen the closure of rural schools, Garda stations and post offices, a threat to district and general hospitals and the curtailment of services. Those who live and intend to live in rural areas, whose families want to pursue that way of life, should not be forced to live in a hostile environment.

Being a small nation on the periphery of Europe has its disadvantages; being on the periphery of a peripheral nation poses further problems. The people of the western seaboard have much in common with those from my side of the country, along the south-western seaboard. I shall speak for people from the north, the west and the south-west.

Acting Chairman (Mr. Dardis)

I hope you will not speak for too many regions, Senator, because we are running out of time.

Mr. Cashin

I shall be as brief as I can. One threat has been to the maintenance of the regional hospital in Mallow, County Cork, which serves a vast rural area. We had to fight to retain that, the ambulance services pertaining to it and to maintain rural post offices. If the post office in the village of Meelin in my constituency was closed, £7,000 a week would be lost to the village. Meelin would die and in time the adjoining town would follow. This is what we must fight to protect.

All is not lost. There are many ways in which we can preserve rural life, such as through Leader funding under which at present some £21 million is available. Afforestation has shown an increase from £37,000 to £57,000, allowing small farmers to obtain part-time work while staying on the land. Small industries, rural resettlement in County Clare and fishing are other areas which can help.

Fishing is close to the Cathaoirleach's heart. We have seen the conflict between farm fishing and white trout of late, both of which bring revenue to the country. One of those pursuits appears to be killing the other. In Kerry, where 60 people are employed in the cages, £2 million was lost in tourism last year, the equivalent of 104 jobs. They should be working hand in hand in an area where jobs are hard to come by and in a country where we want to keep all the jobs we can and reduce the numbers out of work.

The matter must be grasped by the Government. We must be serious about the matter. We can no longer just talk about rural decay, we must do something for ourselves. Ireland is seen as the garden country of western Europe. That being the case we must get funding for farm guest houses, scenic walks, parks and, not least, our county and minor roads. If we leave the highways to see the hidden Ireland we must get the structures to do so. The western idea of progress is an empty countryside, with crowded, polluted and violent cities. Do we have to follow suit?

Mr. McDonagh

The west, like the rest of this great country, has a chequered history and is often featured in Irish history for the wrong reasons. In the days of Cromwell the expression was: "To Hell or to Connacht". In recent times, if one had a close affiliation to the west, one would be inclined to say: "To Hell with Connacht".

A serious effort is now afoot to address the problem and many agencies, including the Government, are being called on to strike a blow for Connacht and the west. It is a beautiful area, famed in song and story. It is the area where Pádraig Ó Conaire wrote of his little black donkey, M'asal Beag Dubh:“I gCinn Bhara a bhíos nuair a churas aithne ar m'asal beag dubh i dtosach.” It is also the land of Yeats's The Wild Swans of Coole. There are also the immortal lines of Pearse about children playing in the streets of little towns in Connacht, a land of peace and rugged beauty.

Regretfully, the number of children playing in the streets of little towns in Connacht is getting fewer and fewer as the years pass. This is not a land of milk and honey where everything in the garden is rosy. The west is presented in history and literature as the home of a vibrant rural way of life which is central to Ireland's cultural heritage. A century ago the region boasted a population of 910,000, but by 1991 this figure had fallen dramatically to 510,000. It faces the prospect of a further decline of 110,000 by 2011.

In the west we are witnessing the death of large parts of our national heritage. Neglect and national apathy have persisted over many years. This is manifest in the strong preference for the east in EU assisted infrastructure projects. Since 1984 farming has been faced with quota limits on milk production. Ceilings on livestock premia have also been set in the reformed CAP. Much of the land in Connacht and Donegal is of poor quality. More than 20 per cent consists of bog, marsh, bare mountain, water and roads, compared to less than 30 per cent for the State as a whole. A total of 22 per cent is used for rough grazing, while the national average is 15 per cent, and only 36 per cent of land in Connacht is classed as good agricultural land. There is a large number of small farm holdings, with 56 per cent less than 30 acres, while the national average is 45 per cent, and just 20 per cent are in excess of 50 acres. Many small landowners in the west have almost withdrawn from farming and are largely dependent on income maintenance supports such as old age pensions and smallholders ssistance on land letting, and on and low intensity agricultural production.

This beautiful region on the periphery of Europe has major problems. The number of children playing on the streets of Connacht has dropped dramatically. The population of the archdiocese of Tuam has dropped by 100,000 in 100 years and the process has accelerated in recent times. The Gaelic Athletic Association is deeply rooted on the western seaboard but in recent years many clubs are finding it more and more difficult to field teams in various grades. My own parish club of Turloughmore in County Galway won six county championships in a row in the 1960s. It took the club almost 20 years to win another championship and this was mainly due to the exodus of players from the club. In the 1980s Turloughmore had its own hurling team in Boston and many people felt that it could have been superior to the team at home. The exodus of people from the west in recent times is frightening. However, it is not all doom and gloom. The country's future will be built on its young people, our most prized possession, despite the endemic drain of young people from the west.

It would be remiss of me as a western public representative not to pay tribute to the western bishops for their initiative in bringing forward this report on the problems of the west and their solutions. Over 100 recommendations have been made by the bishops in their crusade to develop a survival package for the region. However, this will come to nothing if millions of pounds are not pumped into Connacht and Donegal each year and if the Government is not prepared to respond in a positive manner to this report.

The study makes a variety of recommendations in a number of areas as to how the serious threat to the west's future can be arrested. These areas include rural and industrial development, tourism, services, infrastructure, financial strategies, framework for western development, the costs of development and non-development and the organisation of western development. I join in calling on the Government to support the actions requested in the crusade document. The Government has been asked to immediately declare its active support for the process of regenerating the west and to prepare a Green Paper setting out its policy and priorities for the region. It has also been asked to establish an independent and adequately resourced western development board which would have responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of policy there. In addition, it would be responsible for the presentation of a five year rolling development plan in consultation with interests in the west. This should be presented to the Government not later than the end of October 1994 and it should now be setting in train the Green Paper proposal, as requested.

Support for tourism nationally must take into account the special contribution the west can make. Its tourism resources — especially rural tourism — are greatly underdeveloped. It is obvious that transport infrastructure should take priority in the tourism development plan. The N63 is one of the key roads, leading in and out of County Galway and County Roscommon which links up ultimately with Northern Ireland and Belfast. This is a vital link but it is in a state of disrepair at the moment. Unless something is done about it in the near future, tourism cannot be adequately promoted in the region. There is a strong request from the west, particularly from County Galway and County Roscommon, for this road to be upgraded from a national secondary to a national primary route. I was recently asked by a number of concerned mothers if Galway County Council would level the brink of this road so that they could walk safely along it. This is a sad situation and gives an idea of the deplorable state of some of the main routes in the west. Something must be done about this road in particular. I intend to raise the request to have this road upgraded from national secondary standard to national primary with the Minister for the Environment.

Will the Minister and the Government take cognisance of a detailed report commissioned and produced by the western railways inter-county committee which called for the reopening of the line from Sligo to Claremorris? Ultimately, this could link up with Rosslare and lead to continental Europe. This route has vast tourism potential, and at a time when we talk of tourism as a vital matter for the west, it could become the vital organ to bring revitalisation to the arteries and veins of this peripheral region.

I also wish to refer to the problems facing landowners in the region when tourists enter their land. Under existing legislation, landowners are responsible for accidents on their land. This is leading to restrictions on entering land with consequential adverse effects on the development of tourism products. This problem must be addressed immediately.

Local community development groups or boards must be established in every parish, with the bottom up approach becoming the norm. The Government must ensure that these groups are backed up with financial and expert support. I call on the Government to supply every existing local community development board with an enterprise worker who would co-ordinate and promote the interests of the local groups which are endeavouring to create opportunities within their village or parish. We see many people with ideas every year on the special "Late Late Show" production. They produce new concepts which will ultimately lead to new products. They should be encouraged in every way possible. It is also vitally important that householders, who try to supplement their income through the development of tourism on their farms or the creation of bed and breakfast facilities within their homes, should be encouraged and financially assisted.

I support the call by Senator Quinn that the headquarters of Bord Fáilte should be reallocated in the west and in this respect I include many other Government services. For example, my party requested that the Irish Aviation Authority be based in the Shannon region, but, regrettably, it was ignored.

The west should be designated as a pilot area for social employment schemes whereby eligible workers are allowed to continue on schemes when the mandatory one year period has elapsed. There should be continuity of work, as tasks need to be undertaken. Workers on these schemes should be allowed to retain their entitlements, including medical cards, and there should be reassessment for dole on completion of these schemes. In addition, the unions will have to be more flexible in their approach to work, taking into consideration the problems of the region, and the county councils should be appointed as the main agents to promote many of these major schemes as they have the expertise and back up services already in place.

It is well known that major industries can never be established in certain areas in the west because of their remoteness. In these areas, social employment schemes are the main hope for the future and I hope that flexibility will be the norm.

Many people trying to supplement their incomes through setting up fish farms are, unfortunately, outside the Oireachtas today demanding help from the Government. They should be given every consideration and help and, again, flexibility should be the norm.

As a Fine Gael Party spokesperson on western development, I believe there is a resilience in the west that refuses to accept defeat. However, there must also be resilience on the part of the Government to help it. I repeat the call of my party in requesting the Government to appoint a Minister with special responsibility for the west who could liaise with the proposed western development board which should now be established with the assistance of the Government. Such a Minister should spearhead the crusade for survival of the region and the proposed western development board should be answerable to him or her.

I am disappointed that the Government will not respond in a positive manner to the request of the bishops and the people of the west for the appointment of such a Minister. Will we — and the bishops — be left, like John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness? It is incumbent on the Government to immediately declare its active support for the process of regeneration of the west and to prepare a Green Paper setting out its policies and priorities for the region.

To date, the Government's response has been disappointing. Senator McGowan remarked that the Government is supportive. If so, why set up another task force, another talking shop? The bishops' report is excellent and tells us what is required. Why set up another body to examine the problems in the west? Why delay the action? My party eagerly awaits the response of this task force and its recommendations, or is it possible that the recommendations and the findings of the task force will be deferred or postponed until after the European elections?

The people of the west have the will and the initiative to go forward and rekindle a growing and successful spirit on the western seaboard. The bishops have taken their initiative in the production of this report and it is now firmly in the lap of the Government. We want to continue to see our children play on the streets of vibrant small towns in Connacht. I hope the Government will help the people of the west to realise and fulfil this dream.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister. It is appropriate that within two weeks of the launching of the report A Crusade for Survival: Developing the West Together, the Upper House is debating it. It is an indication of the seriousness with which it is taken.

I compliment the bishops — and all those who supported them in compiling this report — on their initiative. They have acted as a catalyst in opening a debate on the west. It is not, as some believe, a bishops' report. To some extent the bishops' merely presided over the opportunity to bring forward a report. Many people, and many politicians in all parties, from the west contributed to the compilation of the report and attended many of the meetings held throughout the region when the report was being considered.

The report identifies and details the problems of the west and attempts, to some extent, to provide solutions. However, solutions cannot be provided by a report itself; they can only be provided by Government and by Government agencies working with local development groups and agencies for the betterment of all.

We are fortunate that the Taoiseach was born in the west, and it did not go without notice that he attended the launching of this report. He has an interest in the west, having been reared in County Roscommon, although he has now been adopted by County Longford. He also has an understanding of the problems of the west and I was heartened by his statement the day the report was launched that his Department would analyse the report and that he would have a personal involvement. In addition, I note that the Taoiseach announced the establishment of a task force under the auspices of his Department to investigate the recommendations of the report and report to him with its findings. Therefore, he has already taken a positive step in response to this report. This debate is another positive step even though the report was only launched in the last two weeks.

While there are many problems in the west, it is important to appreciate the situation in the region hitherto. In this respect I was taken aback by the approach of one Opposition Senator who attacked the abandonment of the west by the Government. What was the response of the Senator's party while in Government from 1982 to 1987? That Government stopped the decentralisation programme that had been initiated. To date, the Government has brought decentralisation to places like Letterkenny, Sligo, Castlebar, Ballina and Galway. It is also proposed to decentralise to Roscommon. While this will not solve the problems in the region, it is an indication of the commitment of the Government to decentralisation to regions outside Dublin. It is important that the Government continues this policy.

During that period a major proposal for the development of an indigenous resource, a peat briquette factory on the Galway border at Ballyforan, was shelved. This factory would have provided considerable employment opportunities. Attacking the Government on the basis of this report is not the best way to proceed. We must ask what the future holds for the west. What can we do to influence a policy which will respond to the needs of the west?

The development of indigenous resources such as peat and timber is vitally important. The Government can play a major role in this area. I am perturbed by recent statements that it is again proposed to build a milled peat station in the midlands or near Dublin. Given the situation in the west, the Government could develop indigenous resources, process them on site and create added value. To harvest milled peat in west and transport it by train to the east is not in the best interests of developing the west.

The Government has a responsibility to those in the west in regard to peat resources. There is now an opportunity to enhance the standard of living of poor families and, perhaps, bring back family members who left by providing a peat generating capacity in the west. If the Government is serious about responding to this report, it should ensure that part of our energy generating capacity is located in that area. This would provide much needed jobs, added value in development and additional jobs in service and ancillary industries. By developing this indigenous resource and by processing it on site, sustainable jobs could be provided which would keep families in this area, allow them to build their own houses and provide them with a future over the next 30 or 40 years.

I welcome the Government's policy on forestry. It supported the industry nationally and it obtained EU support for a national forestry development programme. Timber must be processed in this country. The recent attempt by Louisiana Pacific to locate on the south-east coast is unacceptable. Further timber processing should not be located on the east or south coast. This is another opportunity for Government to respond to the needs of the west. In ten years time, most timber will be produced in the west and north-west. The Government should decide to locate the next mill, pulp or timber processing outlet in that area. By doing so, it would show its commitment. If this indigenous resource is processed on site, much needed jobs could be provided. These are two opportunities for the Government to devise coherent policies to develop indigenous resources in the west and north-west.

The Government could respond to many other areas in the west. We are in danger of being overloaded with committees and other bodies and, consequently, we may not fully understand what is happening. The County Enterprise Partnership Boards should be the vehicle for activity at local level. These boards should co-ordinate local and statutory bodies to enable them to liaise with Government Departments. It not in our interest to have five bodies doing the same job without knowing what the other is doing. It is only when a project is being wound up that people realise they have being working towards the same end, but have not worked together along the way. That is a waste of resources which often results in the loss of projects. The coordination of activities between local and statutory bodies is important. Government Departments, the Taioseach and this task force should co-ordinate their efforts to devise a clear policy on developments.

The bottom up approach is important because people must take the initiative and agencies must respond to that. If a number of agencies respond in an uncoordinated way, enthusiasm is lost and a viable project may fall by the wayside. This is important at this time because funds will become available under the second Leader programme. While the first Leader programme has been successful, the second programme could greatly enhance the west. If the second programme is run on a county basis the county enterprise partnership boards can provide opportunities for tourism, agriculture and the marine. The second Leader programme can provide vital funds and opportunities for development in the west.

We must also be conscious of family farms and small businesses. As another Senator said, for too long families in the west have been split by migration and emigration. This is the year of the family. The west has suffered more than any other region from the splitting of families. We now have an opportunity, if we are serious about the west, to redress that imbalance.

I disagree with Senator Quinn, who said that no major manufacturing industry will come to the west. This is incorrect. I only have to point to the Elan Corporation Ltd. which has provided 600 jobs for the people of Roscommon and, to some extent, Athlone and other parts of Westmeath. If it can set up a major industry in Roscommon, which started small and developed over ten years to its present capacity, there is no reason other industrialists should not come to the west. Do they not want to come, as Senator Quinn said, or are the gurus in the industrial promotion agencies not identifying sites in the west? Is it in their interests that sites are developed on the east and south coasts? What is the real intent of those who are promoting industry? I am sure Elan is no different from other corporations around the world. They are happy in Athlone. We must make sure that those who are promoting industry are promoting the whole country and not just sections of it.

This debate will be brought back to the villages, towns and townlands of the west. Not everything on paper will resolve the problems of the west. The people themselves will encourage new thinking and encourage the Government to do what is necessary. The Government must respond to the will of the people. This region is entitled to the same benefits and opportunities as any other. The west has been left aside for too long.

Mr. Reynolds

I compliment the western bishops for encouraging the people of the west and north-west to take stock of the socio-economic decline of the region. Speakers have adopted a unified approach, regardless of the political parties to which they belong. I found Senator Gallagher's contribution interesting. She is learning a good political lesson quickly. She was critical of the Government and its lack of incentives. Maybe her party colleague who is here will talk to her and the Government will take on board and implement some of her proposals. I hope her contribution shows the clear thinking and intentions of the Government. I could say the same about Senator Finneran. We are largely in agreement.

Some people say there is not a great deal of difference between political parties. In a pub in Sligo recently a man told me that there is one great difference, the parties in Government control the purse strings and the others cannot do much except shout and roar and do not control very much. I hope the people controlling the purse strings will open them and quickly send funds to the west.

I welcome the establishment by the Government of a task force. I hope this is not seen as another layer of bureaucracy. The reports of many other task forces have not been implemented but left on the shelf to gather dust. The bishops' report is as good as a task force. It has outlined the major problems facing the region and its people. Its recommendations will not be any different from those which will be suggested by the task force. What is needed is Government action and a response to this document, which has been put together not just by the bishops but by the people of the area.

The bottom up approach, about which Senator Finneran spoke, is very evident in the way this document has been prepared. Every person in every townland and parish in the west and north-west has been involved. I do not know what additional benefits a task force will provide. The people are looking for a commitment that the Government will provide the necessary funding and encouragement so that we in the west can attain a future for ourselves and future generations.

The report recommends the establishment of a western development board. A large problem faced not just by the west but by all regions is the total centralisation of Government. We must seriously consider decentralisation and local autonomy and the giving to local councils the power to pursue policies and create incentives to encourage people to move to their areas. We are the most centralised democracy in Europe. There has been no great move towards local government reform. I am sure this is close to the Minister's heart. Local government has a very important role in development. This is not an easy task but many Governments have been very inactive.

If we are serious about the need for regions to look after themselves, we must give them autonomy and the ability to raise finance and make decisions on their own rather than having to go to central Government, which in turn looks to Europe. This line of bureaucracy has not worked in the past and clearly is not working now. We must be radical. I support the establishment of a western development board.

The report also deals with farming and agriculture. Many speakers have pointed out that over the last number of years there has been a great decline in the number of family farms which, unfortunately, is continuing. The Acting Chairman may not agree but many of the farmers in my area are totally dependent on the cheque in the post syndrome. Nowadays one would need a degree to get a cheque in the post as there is a plethora of application forms to be filled in when applying for headage and beef premiums. The farmers are confused and the public representatives are overworked and confused because this is a bureaucratic nightmare. The best example of this is the maps which are needed for headage. The Minister said he would only accept Ordnance Survey maps and then he said he would accept Land Registry maps for a period. He has now changed his mind and will only accept Land Registry maps.

The confusion in the western farming communities is appalling. They find it difficult to survive solely on agriculture because their land is marginal and their holdings are small. Now, instead of giving them an incentive to stay on the farm, they are being swamped by bureaucracy. Young people who might otherwise consider continuing as full time farmers are discouraged. This is another area to which we will have to give great consideration.

The problems in County Leitrim are a microcosm of those of the west. In 1895, Leitrim had a population of 150,000; today it is 24,000. I am one of the younger Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas and there were 33 boys in my class at national school, two of whom live in County Leitrim today. The rest have either migrated or emigrated. That is the stark reality which faces the west but it has already happened in County Leitrim. If governments and agencies do not decide to tackle this problem now this will happen in all the counties along the western seaboard in the next 15 or 20 years.

Since I was elected, the Seanad and Dáil have requested that tax incentives be given to rural areas which would create employment and attract industrialists. There are special tax incentives in Gaeltacht areas and urban renewal programmes in many of the larger provincial towns and cities which have been very successful in upgrading the rundown areas of those towns and cities. I believe a rural renewal scheme is needed because all of County Leitrim and parts of Counties Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon need special attention and tax incentives to create employment, attract industry, maintain small businesses and retain the population.

In County Leitrim there are six IDA factories which have been vacant for the last ten years. A colleague who was in college with me wanted to set up an industry and was willing to do it in County Leitrim. However, he received better tax incentives and a better deal to set up in Dublin. His transport and other costs were lower. In economic terms it paid him to set up the industry in Dublin and he has been very successful, which I hope will continue. He had his heart set on coming to Leitrim but the resources were not available.

Leitrim is the only county without an American based manufacturing industry. We have appealed on numerous occasions to different Ministers and agencies to give consideration to this. Even 50 or 100 jobs would be very welcome because they would keep a community alive. Leitrim is the only county which has not been promised a decentralised office, another area we wish to highlight. I hope the Government will continue its decentralisation policy and name Carrick-on-Shannon as one of the centres for decentralisation in the near future.

Senator Finneran made numerous references to family farms and businesses. I was at a meeting a couple of weeks ago where we discussed the budget, the incentives for business and so on. A man who has been in business for 45 or 50 years employing 25 people said that every businessman in this country is thinking of ways to get people out of work rather than creating jobs because there is no incentive to create employment but rather to get rid of jobs. This Government has failed to take that into consideration.

The area of forestry was raised. There are great incentives for afforestation. It is the only area which is substantially grant aided. Successive governments promised to provide a timber processing plant in the west. Last year a timber processing plant was announced and, like the Golden Vale, the west has increased in geographic stature to include Waterford, or perhaps there are members of the Government who are not aware of the borders of the west. There are people who are willing to stay on the family farm but they are not able to compete with private forestation because of the huge grant aid and initiatives it receives.

I hope the Government task force will report quickly because action is required urgently. I believe that if the recommendations in the programme published by the western bishops were implemented urgently, many of our problems would be solved.

Mr. D. Kiely

I, too, welcome A Crusade for Survival and I compliment the bishops. However, I am concerned about where the west begins and ends. Does it include the entire western seaboard? I live in Kerry, which I think is in the west and is far more deprived than many of the other counties on the western coast. Every county is screaming for some type of development. This crusade could begin in Donegal and finish in west Cork. That is the west of Ireland as far as I am concerned. I see the same problems all along the western seaboard. I am a little surprised that the Munster bishops did not become involved with their Connacht and County Donegal counterparts when they were putting this report together. Our people have to live in the west too. If people do not stay in the west there will be a population imbalance. Numerous campaigns are taking place in the west to try to get people to move out of cities like Dublin and live and work in rural areas. There are opportunities there for them, but the Government will have to grasp the nettle and give financial resources to the west.

I live on the Shannon estuary, which has one of the greatest potentials for development here. It is the best seaport in the west and has been recognised as such for many years. However, little money has been invested and no development has taken place in the estuary.

Debate adjourned.

Acting Chairman

When is it proposed to sit again?

Mr. Mullooly

It is proposed to sit again at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 23 February 1994.