Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. One of the problems with the democratic system in this country when it comes to spatial planning is that we are cursed with the idea of one for everybody in the audience. When we hatch particular plans for developments, they are usually orientated by good and sound economic and demographic advice etc. However, by the time they get through the political system here, they are nearly shattered into directing funds and investments in far too many locations to achieve that critical mass. Mr. John Moran, whom the witness mentioned earlier, would nearly be of the extreme view, to a certain extent, that all of the energy should go into one of those regional cities. Even if we were to take Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway and try to grow them as a group of four, we are still probably not going to get to that critical mass that Aarhus in Denmark achieved by managing to build its city up in balance to Copenhagen. How does the witness feel about that? Does he think that four cities is too many or should we be going for less with regard to that development?