Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Mar 2000

Vol. 162 No. 13

Adjournment Matters. - Decentralisation Programme.

Mr. J. Cregan

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Cullen, to the House. Newcastlewest, Ennis and Nenagh are situated approximately 25 miles from Limerick city. Ennis and Nenagh have benefited from the decentralisation of Government offices and Departments in recent years. However, that is not the reason I want decentralisation to Newcastlewest.

Why do I want decentralisation to County Limerick and Newcastlewest? Newcastlewest has gone through a difficult time in recent years with many job losses in Neodata, Giro and Kostal. This has taken a toll on Newcastlewest, which is quickly becoming a satellite town of Limerick city. Thousands of jobs are available and people are finding it difficult to fill them. Newcastlewest has also lost its Objective One status. The communities in west Limerick, Newcastlewest and its hinterland are hugely dependent on agriculture. These are important reasons that Newcastlewest should be considered favourably for decentralisation.

We have a lot to offer in Newcastlewest, which is the county town of Limerick. We have a good building which could be made available to the Government if the town was fortunate to be chosen for decentralisation. This building will not remain the property of its present owners for long given the current housing market and the problems in the construction industry. That is why I am anxious to stake a claim for decentralisation to Newcastlewest.

A submission was presented to me recently from Newcastlewest Community Council which I will present to the Minister. We are all conscious of the need for a clean environment. We can boast of that in Newcastlewest which is the home of the world renowned Ballygowan. Newcastlewest offers a unique quality of life and outstanding commercial, educational and leisure opportunities coupled with a friendly and active populace. Its excellent geographical position with a road network puts more business, education and leisure activities within easy reach. We are also within easy reach of Shannon Airport, Cork Airport and Farranfore. We have top class educational institutions and a wide range of sporting activities and facilities. The special needs of the mentally and physically challenged in our community are also well served.

Newcastlewest has recently benefited from urban renewal tax incentives which are important in attracting people to live in the area. There is a wide range of affordable housing and sites in the town compared to Limerick city. Sites are not available in the city and houses are more expensive than in Newcastlewest. The number of houses under construction or awaiting planning decisions means that 600 to 700 units will be provided in the near future. In addition, many building sites are available with 90 acres of land zoned residential.

We also have good educational facilities from pre-schools to third level education. Special needs education is provided at Courtenay boys' national school and the vocational school. Training and employment for adults is provided by the Brothers of Charity and west Limerick community workshop. There is easy access to third level education in Limerick city because the University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology are only a short drive from Newcastlewest. There is a school of music in Newcastlewest and an international Celtic school of languages will be opened in June 2000. We are proud of this development which will be a huge boost to the town.

There is a great community spirit in Newcastlewest and in the many villages and towns dotted around it. This spirit was recognised in recent years and months when some towns and villages were given national awards of which we are proud. There is also a low crime rate in Newcastlewest. If we attracted good Government jobs to Newcastlewest, it would benefit it and the surrounding towns and villages where teaching posts, post offices and other services we would like to keep are under threat. Such jobs would transform the area.

Decentralisation is a national cake of which we in west Limerick would like our fair share. We have lost out in recent times through not securing industrial jobs and losing our Objective One status. Decentralisation would be a boost to Newcastlewest, its hinterland and County Limerick. I appeal to the Minister of State to give favourable consideration to the submission from Newcastlewest.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Cullen)

I thank Senator Cregan for raising the important issue of decentralisation. From discussions we have had, I am aware of the Senator's commitment to attracting this project to his area and I know he has been monitoring developments.

As the House is aware, the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, announced in his Budget Statement the Government's intention to embark on a new and radical programme of decentralisation with the transfer of the maximum number of public sector jobs from Dublin. In pursuit of this policy, the Government intends to relocate almost entire Government Departments, offices and other public bodies to provincial centres. It is intended that the forthcoming programme will, for the first time, involve non-commercial State sponsored bodies. The Minister's budget announcement endorses the commitment set out in the reviewed Action Programme for the Millennium to a policy of balanced regional development and set as a key priority the channelling of public sector jobs into provincial areas.

The current programme of decentralisation, which is expected to be completed in the early part of next year, will involve the relocation of over 4,000 civil servants from Dublin to a large number of provincial locations. The impact of this programme cannot be underestimated given that it involves almost 20 towns and cities throughout the country. In Senator Cregan's county, over 500 staff have already relocated to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners in Limerick city.

The issue of decentralisation is one in which I have a particular interest, given the tremendous contribution made by my Department and the Office of Public Works in the provision of office accommodation. I am particularly enthusiastic about the proposals to proceed with such a significant programme and, through the involvement of my office, I intend to keep in close contact with the programme as it develops. I have seen in my constituency the benefits which a community can derive from the relocation of a Government office. I assure the House of my personal commitment to ensuring, in whatever way I can, the successful implementation of the forthcoming programme of decentralisation.

Almost 50% of all civil servants are now located outside Dublin and while decentralisation cannot account for all of that it has played a major part and has contributed significantly to a greater geographical spread of Government services. All regions of the country have benefited from the Government's policy on decentralisation and it would be the Government's intention that any new programme would maintain that policy. As Senator Cregan stated, it is obvious that the addition of new jobs to an area, whether through decentralisation or otherwise, gives a positive economic boost to the area. New jobs result in increased economic growth and better use of existing, and often underused, local infrastructure.

The Minister for Finance has begun a process of consultation with his colleagues in Government with a view to identifying almost complete Departments, offices and other bodies which could be included in the new programme. The Minister hopes that this element of the process will be completed in time for decisions on a significant new programme to be taken by the summer. In developing a new programme the Minister has in mind a number of objectives including the promotion of regional development, the reduction of congestion in Dublin, the establishment of a more even spread of public sector jobs around the country and the procurement of office accommodation at lower cost than in Dublin.

The Minister and the Government are, however, conscious of the need to maintain the efficiency of service delivery in determining the locations of Government services and the functions which can be efficiently relocated. Sections of Government Departments and offices which are decentralised must be of a certain size to be viable and sufficiently self-contained to be able to function effectively outside of Dublin. It is essential also that adequate management control is maintained.

Despite the Minister's personal commitment and that of the Government towards the principle of decentralisation, it is worth cautioning against any impression that a new wave of decentralisations to multiple provincial locations is imminent. It is vitally important that all the issues relating to decentralisation are fully considered before decisions are taken.

Appropriate blocks of work have to be identified, staff have to be selected and trained and suitable accommodation has to be sourced. These issues take time and it is important to bear this in mind. On the basis of previous experience it takes about two years from the date of a decision to relocate staff to their taking up position in the new building. I say this not to demonstrate any lack of enthusiasm on the part either of the Minister for Finance or the Government but simply to emphasise that after decisions are taken it will be some time before staff arrive in their new locations.

The Minister and I are grateful to the many public representatives who have been in touch with us recently on the subject of decentralisation and we are anxious to acknowledge the impressive cases which have been advanced for many potential locations. I acknowledge the tremendous effort which has gone into these submissions and I reassure those who have been making representations that these cases will be considered fully by the Government as part of the consultative process which has been initiated.

In that context, Senator Cregan can be assured that the case now being made by him for the inclusion of Newcastle West and Kilmallock in any new programme has been noted and will be considered fully in the context of the consultative process on which the Minister has embarked. I will ensure that his submission will be given full consideration by the Department of Finance.