Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too extend my condolences to the families and friends of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee. I recognise Anthony Burke whose brave testimony was pivotal. I also thank An Garda Síochána for its untiring work in bringing the perpetrator to justice.

Today I again raise the non-delivery of balanced regional development, particularly in the context of this year's budget. I also raise the submission made by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, which has drafted a submission asking for three things - a stimulus package of €570 million for the region between now and 2027, a policy of positive discrimination for the region and more regional autonomy. The document clearly sets out the reasons for the three requests. First, regional inequalities are rising in Ireland. In 2010 the gap in disposable income between the northern and western region and the eastern and midland region was ten percentage points. By 2021, that gap had grown to an astonishing 25 percentage points. Second, census 2022 data illustrate that population growth continues to be unsustainably uneven. Third, while employment levels across all regions are high, the northern and western region has a below-average concentration of jobs involved in the knowledge and technology economy, which are the jobs of the future. Fourth, according to the European Commission, the region has been downgraded to lagging, with the Border region described as being in a development trap. In the northern and western region, per capitaGDP is now 17% below the EU average, despite the fact that in 2006 our per capitaGDP was 5% above the EU average. That is a pretty grim picture.

One sector not dealt with by this report, but of crucial importance in the region is tourism. We see that the counties with the highest proportion of their tourism accommodation being used to accommodate refugees are along the Atlantic coastline, with a report last March showing that 82% of Fáilte Ireland-registered tourist beds in County Donegal were being used to accommodate refugees. The figure was 42% in County Sligo and 50% in County Leitrim. The downstream impact is huge, yet the budget was silent and disappointing on the asks from the regional assembly. What will the Taoiseach do to improve the ranking of this region vis-à-visother regions on the European competitiveness index?

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