I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. I doubt that I will raise many matters in this House that are more important to County Mayo than this serious situation. An area of County Mayo, which is twice as large as County Dublin but which has a population smaller than that of County Leitrim, is dying. The area to which I refer constitutes 40% of County Mayo, but contains less than 20% of the county's population. The depopulation trend is set to continue and it is inevitable that it will do so if something drastic is not done. If the current level of decline continues, north and west Mayo, from Killala to Newport, will be entirely deserted by the end of the century. I thank Dr. Seamus Caulfield, a well respected and much admired community activist, archaeologist and instigator and promoter of the visitor centre and research unit at the Céide Fields in Ballycastle for his work in this area. His analysis of the preliminary results of the 2002 census are most revealing, but they are also troubling.
In light of the positive results of the census at national, provincial, regional and county level, it was shattering for me to discover that the part of the country facing the biggest crisis is in County Mayo. It is true that many rural electoral divisions show a decline, but they are interspersed with electoral divisions showing growth. Parts of north-west Cork, north Kerry, north Roscommon, south-west Clare and south-west Donegal fall into this category, but nothing compares to the almost total decline recorded in north and west Mayo. Some 39 of 42 electoral districts north of a line from south of Killala to south of Newport show a decline. Increases in population are recorded in only three districts in this area: Glencastle, which increased by eight, Newport West, which includes St. Brendan's village in Mulranny, which increased by 67, and Corraun Achill, which increased by 25. The other 39 districts record a total loss of 1,209 people and the net loss between 1996 to 2002, therefore, is 1,109 people. The population of this part of County Mayo has decreased from 22,765 to 21,656.
Two distinct County Mayos are emerging – a south and east Mayo, which recorded an increase in population of over 7,000 since 1996 and a north and west Mayo, the population of which has declined by over 1,100 in the same time. Action is urgently needed. Balanced regional development has been promised as part of the national development plan, but the figures emerging give the lie to any such notion. The development of the south and east of Ireland is being copper-fastened, but the west is suffering.
After generations of party politics in County Mayo, we do not have the road, rail, telecommunications and broadband infrastructure we need. If broken promises were infrastructure, County Mayo would have all the infrastructure it needs. It would be a competitive area, rather than having third class roads and no broadband technology. There is no mobile telephone reception and a lack of ISDN lines in parts of my county. The western investment fund has been cut by an incredible 68%. The CLÁR programme, administered by the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, which caters for 16 counties, has been cut by 25% from an inadequate €12 million. Funding for the REP scheme has decreased by 19%. There has been an increase in rural destocking and thousands of sheep farmers have been driven off the land. Young people do not have the chance to build a house; they have no future.
Politicians from certain parties are still shouting about what they will do for County Mayo. A typical example of this was found last week when the Dáil debated the abolition of the first-time house buyer's grant. A Fianna Fáil Deputy, who said that he felt the decision was unfair, voted with the Government when the acid test came. For generations public representatives have been saying they will do one thing but doing another. The centralised form of government favoured by party politicians means that the west will suffer.
Regardless of whether the country has money or not, the west of Ireland receives very little, but I am appealing for change. I am asking for north-west Mayo to benefit from special designation for tax purposes, in a similar scheme to that in the Shannon region. As Dr. Caulfield has said, no other part of the State comes as close to having a case for development aid as the north and west of County Mayo. I ask the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, to extend the town renewal scheme to Killala, Crossmolina and other towns in my county. The Government has a public service obligation to give County Mayo a gas pipeline and high capacity broadband telecommunications. How can the people of my constituency continue to live there if these needs are not met? County Mayo should be a competitive area and, to that end, the Government should consider a Shannon-type scheme for the north and west of the county. If such a move is not made, the people of the region have no future.
