Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A particular argument was made when I set up CLÁR initially. The thinking was that we would get Beaumont Hospital looking for money on the basis that the hospital treats people from CLÁR areas. The Minister is familiar with the syndrome. We need to be careful. I am not making a case about what the Minister has done in that particular case. I would have preferred if it had been under a different heading from the point of view of money because for me CLÁR is CLÁR. However, I am a little disappointed given all the extra money coming into the Department but yet no more money is being ring-fenced for CLÁR areas. For example, would the Minister consider ring-fencing some of the rural regeneration fund for CLÁR areas in order to ensure help for areas suffering most from rural decline? The maps show vast areas of the country. The geographers can tell us about the rapid growth in the areas under the influence of the cities. Then we go over a cliff and there are areas in decline. The Minister's county is a particular example. It would suit to focus on the areas of decline because, unfortunately, much of County Mayo does not fall within the sphere of a major city. The idea behind the criteria relating to CLÁR was that since these areas, continuously and over a long period, failed to get investment they had declining populations. However, the latter was the case because they had failed to attract investment and so on. The idea was to redress that. Will the Minister consider reallocation? I am not suggesting he can do it this year but perhaps he could do it next year. Would he consider directing that a certain amount of the €52 million be spent on projects put forward by the various agencies in CLÁR areas in order to ensure that there is not an inexorable pull toward the centre with the authorities that will be promoting the projects?