Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

Will the Minister comment on the major imbalance that exists between the east and west, particularly in regard to the national development plan? Under the plan, public spending for the first three years is running at €1.3 billion in the south and east region as against €155 million in the Border, midlands and west region. What is the Minister's view of yesterday's Central Statistics Office statistics which indicate that incomes in the BMW region are significantly lower than the average incomes in eastern areas? The lack of a transport system on the west coast is a factor in this disparity in that the infrastructure is lacking to attract high value jobs.

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