I thank the Cathaoirleach for affording me the opportunity of raising this matter on the Adjournment. I apologise to him, the staff of the House and the Minister, Deputy de Valera, for not attending on the last occasion when I was awarded the Adjournment. The House rose much earlier than expected and as a result the matter was not debated.
I am very pleased the Minister for Finance has come to the House because he is the person who can make the decision on this matter. To put it bluntly, I am making the case for the Minister for Finance to decentralise part of his Department or some other Department to the town of Kilrush, which is the capital of west Clare. It is a fine maritime town, one with which I am sure the Minister is familiar. It is located in a wonderful area on the Shannon Estuary, looking across at Senator Cregan's territory of west Limerick and north Kerry. It is a very scenic and attractive area in which to reside. There are a number of advantages for anyone coming to the west Clare area. First, house prices are very reasonable and sites and houses are available. Second, for those with children there are very good educational establishments in the Kilrush area, including crèche, pre-school, Montessori, primary and secondary school facilities and a variety of primary schools in the surrounding area. There are third level education establishments in Tralee, Limerick and Galway, all less than one and a half hour's journey from Kilrush town.
In addition, a number of facilities are available which are suitable for office sites or for conversion into office accommodation. There is the old convent which is vacant at present. This is a wonderfully preserved building and a fine landmark in the town. There is another site for which planning permission has been sought for an office building and it is hoped that such a building will shortly be built on that site. Kilrush has all the facilities which would make it very attractive for any group of civil servants moving to the area.
Kilrush has a great social scene. There are golf clubs in Kilrush and Kilkee and it is hoped to have an international links in Dunbeg in the near future. It is very close to Shannon international airport. There is the wonderful vista of the Shannon and all its attractions, including a marina in Kilrush town. Close by is the town of Kilkee, a lovely seaside resort with a waterworld, a golf links and beautiful walks. The entire area is a vista of history, traditional music, friendliness and neighbourliness. Anyone coming to the west Clare area will be more than welcome. Perhaps we could consider transferring the Seanad to the Kilrush area. We could bring the Clerk of the Seanad and the staff of the House to this lovely area.
Over the years many of the traditional industries located in Kilrush became redundant and high unemployment became a feature of the town. It is possible to recover from this because people within the community have a wonderful work ethic and tradition. These people would like the opportunity of additional work. They would like to provide a service for civil servants coming to the town. The Minister is in favour of the decentralisation policy and this is a unique opportunity for him to arrange the transfer of a substantial office employing 200 or 300 people. The facilities exist within the town where approximately half the capacity of the water and sewerage services are being utilised. There is great room for improvement and expansion of housing in the area.
I urge the Minister to seriously consider the proposal which has been ably made by Kilrush Urban District Council, Shannon Development, FÁS, Clare Enterprise Board, the local community in Kilrush and various organisations, including the Chamber of Commerce, which drafted a presentation for Government and the Minister for consideration. The case has been clearly made. It gives a history of the depopulation which has occurred in the area and the need for reversing that trend. The Minister is in a position to change the situation and I strongly urge him to do so. All the facilities available in any city are available within the town of Kilrush, such as ISDN lines, all the modern technology, banking, legal and accounting facilities, medical specialists and so on. All services are available in the town of Kilrush. A number of facilities for the care of the elderly are available for those who wish to bring their parents, in-laws or elderly members of the family to the area.
This is an opportunity for the Minister to provide for an area of disadvantage which has experienced social exclusion. The area has suffered from depopulation in recent years due to redundancies in traditional industries which were not in keeping with modern times. This is an opportunity to put a Department in place in Kilrush. It would provide a group of civil servants with a unique opportunity to improve and enhance their quality of life and that of their children. I urge the Minister to consider this matter and to make a decision on it shortly.
The facilities are available. The Convent of Mercy building is vacant and could be converted. There is also the advance office facility. In addition, the granary and mill building at the end of Francis Street, adjacent to the marina, which has over 30,000 square footage, could be easily converted into office accommodation. I have no doubt the owners would be willing to enter into negotiations with the Minister. I hope the Minister is in a position to give a positive response to this matter.