I welcome the opportunity to raise this serious matter on the Adjournment. It was totally shocking to read earlier in the week that the Government was shelving or abandoning its major decentralisation programme. There has been a great deal of publicity, promotion, discussion and preparation in regard to the programme at national and local level with 120 towns, two of which are Ennis and Kilrush in my constituency, making submissions in regard to the scheme.
There was huge interest in this matter in Kilrush. The urban district council made a very positive and concrete case to the Minister and people awaited the announcement with high expectations. The initial suggestion was that the announcement would be made at the start of the summer; that changed subsequently to mid-summer, then to autumn and media reports now indicate that it will not be made until the end of the year. This is a very disheartening development.
I note that the Minister for Finance has not come into the House himself this afternoon but, instead, has sent the Minister of State, Deputy Cullen. That may indicate what the realities are on the ground. The Minister for Finance is on record from 21 March as stating that the "current programme of decentralisation . . . is expected to be completed in the early part of next year, 2001". The Minister stated that he was fully committed to the programme, which followed his announcement in the budget of the Government's intention to embark on a new and radical decentralisation programme involving the transfer of the maximum number of public sector jobs from Dublin. The Minister went on to outline the many benefits of the programme and stated that the announcement of the programme endorsed the commitment outlined in an Action Programme for the Millennium in regard to a balanced regional development policy, one of the key priorities of which was the channeling of public sector jobs into provincial areas.
What has happened in the past seven months to make the programme fall on its face? It is disastrous that in the seven months which have passed since the Minister put on record the fact that it would be necessary to identify appropriate blocks of work, select and train staff and source suitable accommodation, we are now in a "no-go" situation. The front page article in last Monday's Irish Independent stated that there was an acceptance in Government circles that the sheer scale of the programme means that the process will take longer than originally anticipated and will not now commence prior to the next election. We have seen Fianna Fáil engage in a cynical exercise for political gain which raised hopes and expectations throughout the country and now sees those hopes being dashed. In the meantime, local communities, urban district councils and landowners were making preparations for an influx into their towns in order that the necessary facilities would be available for people moving into the area.
The Minister visited Kilrush two months ago and said that he was looking very favourably on the town and that it was to the forefront of his mind. Needless to say, the Minister could not come into this House today because of his record on this matter. That is why the Minister of State, Deputy Cullen, was sent into the House to take the debate.
On the occasion of the Minister's visit to Kilrush, Deputy Daly and I showed the Minister around the town and pointed out three suitable sites for office accommodation which could house up to 300 public servants. We showed him the plans which were in place in the town, the properties which were available for housing and the developmental land for which planning permission was being sought.
People have awaited this announcement since the start of the summer but everything is now up in the air. Does the Government actually have a policy on decentralisation or have we witnessed the Minister engaged merely in an exercise in verbosity? The Minister is great at making statements and engaging in consultation but there does not appear to be any outcome to the consultation. I wonder whether there is a split in Government in the approach which should be adopted to decentralisation. I cannot understand how simple matters such as the identity of suitable blocks of work or staff training are causing delays. Public servants are competent and intelligent people who are capable of being trained and many of them are willing to relocate to provincial towns which are ready to welcome new people into their area.
Where does the problem lie? It lies in the fact that the Minister lacks willingness, ability or focus in this matter. It is time he stood up and accepted responsibility. It is disgraceful that he has put so much on record over the past year on this matter but we are now being told that nothing will happen until after the next election. That is nothing more than unacceptable cynical political manouevring.
It is unfortunate that the Government has engaged in these tactics at this juncture. There has been talk of consultations with the trade unions. The trade unions will behave reasonably if they are consulted but the level and manner of the consultation which has occurred were obviously higgledy-piggledy.
The Government should adopt a phased approach to this programme. The transfer of 10,000 people would require a great deal of organisation but surely that transfer could be carried out in a reasonable, co-ordinated and phased manner. Public service personnel who have already been decentralised are more than happy with their move into provincial towns.
This matter should be given serious priority at the next Cabinet meeting. I regret that the Minister for Finance did not come into the House today. It is very unfair that communities throughout Ireland were given false hope and are now being left in the lurch, not knowing what will happen or when it might happen. Can we expect the Government's decentralisation programme to be completed by the end of this millennium? This is a farcical situation and the Government stands condemned for its approach to the matter.
