This report was prepared by Forfás and presented to the Government earlier this year. In his opening statement to the House in July, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment said the report sets out a strategy for the development of enterprise over the next 15 years. It shows what we as a society can achieve in terms of living standards, employment and quality of life in that period. The report is laudable and clearly sets down the directions in which we can go. I want, however, to raise issues concerning the west, the region I represent. County Roscommon has been worst affected by a lack of enterprise born of the ravages of emigration. The most recent census report last April gives us head counts for each county's population and takes account of the changes between 1991 and 1996. There we find that the population of County Roscommon and of the west generally has stabilised. It had grown significantly in urban areas where there is much enterprise and the highest levels of employment.
The 1991 Census is the one of which we have the best analysis. It takes the 1986 to 1991 period into account during which there was a massive haemorrhage of people from the region. It was a time of structural adjustment with severe cutbacks in public funding that affected the weaker regions to a far greater extent than more prosperous ones. Levels of development in more prosperous regions were more sustained and self-sustaining, thus employment there was held at levels which did not allow the major haemorrhage that took place in the western region.
To the extent that the Government will be involved in shaping our future over the next 15 years in terms of creating enterprise, employment and social structures, we must be careful to positively favour disadvantaged regions with resources to help enterprise. We must iron out disparities that have developed in the economy and in society also.
Part of the principles of Europe after the Maastricht Treaty was that positive action would be taken to address economic disparities in what are called peripheral, declining regions. We have one of the few regions in the European Union where there is a declining population. Scotland and Ireland are quite similar in terms of topography, etc., but the populations of the Orkney Islands and the Western Islands have remained stable or increased during the past 25 years. However, islands off the Irish coast that were inhabited up to 25 years ago are no longer inhabited. The Aran Islands are almost trampled to death by tourists during the summer months but their indigenous population is in decline.
In the light of social justice, successive Governments must consider the effect of that trend on this country. We must provide resources to assist the areas in question. Ireland was very fortunate to qualify for objective 1 status in terms of European Union funding under the Regional and Cohesion funds introduced in 1993 and under the previous arrangement that operated between 1989 and 1993. The National Development Plans prepared in respect of applications under both sets of Structural Funds clearly illustrated that if all regions enjoyed the same level of prosperity Ireland could not have qualified for objective 1 status, which attracts the maximum level of grant assistance towards infrastructural development. If we are to encourage enterprise, we must first tackle our infrastructural deficiencies.
The average income in Ireland was dragged down to a sufficiently low level for qualification for objective 1 status in 1989 and 1993 because the average income in the west was far below that which obtained throughout the European Union. This amounted to 60 per cent of the average European income and 70 per cent of the average national income. Were it not that Ireland had such a large area affected by economic disadvantage and low income, the country would not have qualified for objective 1 status. That status attracted billions of pounds for structural developments — which in turn lead to economic developments — namely, road construction, major water and sewerage projects, environmental and railway restructuring projects, etc.
Ireland was given objective 1 status but the vast share of the money was spent in the eastern region, particularly in respect of road infrastructure. Ten years ago the road approaches to Dublin were probably the most efficient of any developed capital city in the world. Ten to 15 years ago there were few motorway approaches to the city.