Vol. 438 No. 8
6 Mr. J. Higgins asked the asked the Taoiseach, in view of his recent launch of Developing the West Together - A Crusade for Survival, the way in which it is intended to progress the recommendations contained therein; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I was happy to launch the report Developing the West Together — A Crusade for Survival, because it stemmed from a sincere local wish for development, focused by the Bishops of Connacht and Donegal, the staff of Developing the West Together and all of the core groups of local people in the west who contributed to the report.
The report contains 140 major recommendations and these are now receiving a thorough study by the appropriate Government Departments. This is taking place against the background of the National Development Plan, which provides for EU and Irish expenditure of some £3 billion over the years 1994 to 1999 in the area covered by the report.
The Government has considered the broad institutional issues arising from the report. It has decided that it would not be appropriate to have a Minister for the west in view of the functional rather than geographic basis for ministerial responsibility.
The Government has decided to appoint a high level task force consisting of local and regional representatives drawn from the steering group for the report, representatives of the local and regional authorities, of the county enterprise boards and of area partnership companies together with senior civil servants from the office of the Tánaiste, the Departments of Finance, Enterprise and Employment, Environment, Trade and Tourism, Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Social Welfare and Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. The task force will be chaired by a senior civil servant from my Department.
The Government has given the task force the following terms of reference: to co-ordinate action on the assessment and implementation of the report and, to make recommendations to Government on the most appropriate permanent institutional response to the report.
The Government believes that it would be unwise to put any particular regional institutional structure in place, as recommended in the report, without a thorough assessment of the options available. The assessment will now be undertaken by the task force and will take into account experience of the operations of the new bodies just recently put in place, in particular the new regional authorities, the county enterprise boards and the area partnership companies.
The Government has asked the task force to complete its work and report back to Government within two months.
Would the Taoiseach agree that the title of the report says it all, that we are talking about the survival of a people and of a region? Would he agree, in view of the fact that the population of the west dropped by 130,000 since 1926, that 779 townlands are literally dead and that the facts in the document come from a concerned group of Bishops? Will the Taoiseach agree that what is needed is dynamic decisive policy and that unless we have it, irrespective of the task force, the west will be as dead as a door nail?
I am surprised at any Deputy from the west pronouncing death on his region. It indicates a lack of confidence in himself and the ability of elected representatives to give leadership in the development of the west. The report was very well put together and is very welcome. All the issues dealt with in the report will be addressed by the task force. The Deputy will agree that requesting the task force to come back with a report on the 140 recommendations within two months shows that we are treating this as being of the utmost importance. The Deputy, and the west, can be assured that they will get a full hearing in relation to an action programme for the region. The report has also been taken up at European level to see if the goodwill expressed there can be translated into additional action.
We thank the Taoiseach for travelling to Castlebar to launch the report. Does he accept that the recurring theme in it was the need to appoint a Minister for western development with a western development board, if this document is to be brought to fruition?
The Deputy is putting a rather specific matter now.
It is nice to talk about appointing a Minister for the west but what we really want is action. The people with whom I discussed this in Castlebar could see the logic of my points that such a Minister would have to take some of the functions away from almost every Minister of State, that legislation would be required for all this reorganisation, that Ministers were not appointed on the basis of geographical representation but on the basis of functional representation and that it would take some time to get to the end of that process, time during which action could be taken. The people I spoke to want action and not just another structure. Every Minister has responsibility for certain aspects of the west of Ireland. We want to look at the recommendations and ensure that the objectives in the plan are carried through. We do not want to appoint somebody for the sake of appointing him. The job could be well on its way by the time we would make all the necessary functional changes on foot of the Deputy's proposal.
The Taoiseach said that the task force will report within two months. From what date does the two months begin? Of all the recommendations made in the report are there any on which the Government could make a decision without having to appoint a task force to have another look at them? Surely out of the 100-plus recommendations there must be some upon which the Government can make a decision?
We have made decisions on a number of the recommendations in the report and they are part of the National Development Plan.
Which ones?
I will send a list to the Deputy. We are not talking about one, two or three. There are quite a number of recommendations. The two months starts from yesterday's Government meeting.
The Taoiseach's reaction to the supplementary question from Deputy Jim Higgins was to quick. If he had announced that he had some scheme he could immediately implement, people would take his attitude to this report as being bona fide, but he did not mention anything on the long list to be given to Deputy Molloy when he was in Castlebar. Why did he not mention it then? Are there any schemes? Did the Taoiseach hear about the Leader scheme that Father Harry Bohan has to save west Clare? Why did he not announce then that he would support the 1,300 jobs in west Clare that he wants to save?
It is a pity the Deputy was not in Castlebar because he would have learned what all this is about. In the first place Clare is not part of this study.
We are not in the west?
Let us hear the Taoiseach.
It is not in the Connacht championship either.
In relation to Father Harry Bohan's Leader scheme, from all the groups I spoke to in Castlebar, there was distinctive praise for the success of the Leader scheme in County Clare.
Tell that to the county councillors too.
The proposals for Leader 2 are under discussion in Brussels. I have launched the report on Leader 1 and I made clear where the Government stand in relation to Leader and that it is our view that is an excellent scheme. The Government is fully supportive of Leader 2 and the sooner the European Union approves it, the better. There is no question of turning off the tap on the life blood of rural communities, their preservation and development, as represented in the Leader programme. If Deputy Carey read the National Development Plan he would see the scheme for the west. As soon as the plans are approved by Brussels, the Government will have pleasure in announcing them.
I want to bring these questions to finality. The House will be aware that we have been dealing with some six questions for 40 minutes.
The Taoiseach is enjoying himself.
The Chair must have regard too the time factor.
Has the Government any view on the question of families wishing to leave Dublin and relocate in the west? Such a scheme in being organised on a pilot basis by an individual. Does the Government have any intention of assisting?
We are dealing with a specific matter — the development of the west — and I cannot allow an extension to the whole country.
With respect, Sir, this is relevant to the question. It has kept schools alive in the part of County Clare where it is in operation. I am merely asking if the Government has any intention of looking at this seriously and providing financial assistance for the relocation of families who wish to move to the west.
The Minister for the Environment is very supportive of the relocation of families who wish to move to the west. It is quite true that in some areas this has made the difference in allowing the local primary school to retain its second teacher or a school remaining open. A number of families has been relocated in my own County Longford, indeed one from the Deputy's consistency. As the Deputy comes from the west I know he has a good knowledge of what will help to regenerate it. Certainly the relocation of families who choose voluntarily to move to the west should be encouraged and the Minister for the Environment takes that view.
It is worth noting that Deputy Bhamjee relocated himself in the west. Does the Taoiseach agree that all initiatives for the west should relate to counties contiguous to the western sea-board and not just to the counties mentioned in the report?
I answered questions specific to the report launched in Castlebar which covered a specific region.
We had the impression the Taoiseach was ignoring us.
I am not. County Clare is not one of the counties of Connacht On the general question of rural preservation and development, the Government fully subscribes to the views expressed by Deputy Deenihan. The NESC is carrying out a study of rural communities and their preservation and when we receive it, we will be able to express stronger views on areas that need to be rejuvenated just as much as the west.
Let us now come to deal with questions addressed to the Minister for Tourism and Trade.
It is creating work for other people but is not creating any jobs in the west.
Had we not a good week in the west this week?
All these reports are written in Dublin.
Galway has nothing to complain about this week.
I am making a statement to the House and I resent very much being interrupted. Let me repeat the questions we are about to embark upon are Priority Questions for which 20 minutes only are provided for in Standing Orders. Let us try to complete the questions within the time laid down.
