Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their opening statements. The difficulty with the Western Development Commission's work lies in how it strikes a balance in putting sufficient pressure on the Government to make the right policy decisions for the west while being funded by it. That is a challenge for many agencies. It has concerned us all that someone such as Mr. Paddy McGuinness threw his hands in the air and said, "I cannot take this any more." We can see that nothing major has changed since. As there has certainly been no game changer, we are concerned. While the delegates can present a very optimistic picture - I suppose it is part of their job to do so - we need to dig a little deeper on certain matters. I know that the commission's remit does not include applying for EU funding, but are the delegates satisfied that in the west we are availing of all opportunities presented to the commission to obtain EU funding? How concerned are they about the withdrawal of the TEN-T projects? Has a renewed application been made? How much pressure is the commission putting on to have a renewed application made?

I want to ask the delegates about the Atlantic economic corridor and the task force that was set up. How many times do the commission and the Atlantic economic corridor task force meet? What is the relationship between them and has it made a difference? We are two years down the line from when it was set up and I know that it was to be reviewed within two years. Has it been reviewed and, if so, has it made a difference to development in the west?

We talked about broadband provision. We need to be a little stronger on all of the areas without broadband. It is not just broadband; there are huge areas without telecommunications. I am not talking about remote areas but about trying to make telephone calls in areas within half a mile of Castlebar. People have to go sit in their cars to try to get a signal. That is the reality. Mr. Brannigan talked about part of the commission's remit being overseeing the provision of connectivity. Connectivity is the key driver of all development, but how can we expect a CEO or other staff to relocate to the west when there are areas in which we do not have something as basic as connectivity even to make a mobile phone call?

I also want to ask the delegates about the promotion of education which is part of the commission's remit. Are they concerned about GMIT and the slowness in implementing the report brought out last November? Were they concerned when courses were recently closed there? There does not seem to be the will to see GMIT's development.

I must ask the delegates about Knock Airport. It is not just a matter of flights in and out; it is also a matter of creating an industrial zone.

How important is it to have a decent fiscal incentive in place to attract companies to ensure we have a proper development hub at the airport? If the witnesses were to name their one key infrastructure priority what would it be?

I am concerned that the national planning framework, NPF, seems to be population driven and that while there are aspirations, there is no real commitment on timelines. It states specifically that projects will be considered. If the commission is to do a cost-benefit analysis of any project, population, as one of the main drivers, will almost predict the outcome of the decision. There are, however, many projects that I imagine are priorities for the Western Development Commission and that are certainly priorities for me and Sinn Féin. How can the commission influence the elements used in the cost-benefit analysis to ensure decisions are not only population driven? I welcome the opportunity to discuss this with the commission today.