Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Mr. Brosnan asked for political support, and could I say how it should start? The Minister, Deputy O'Dea, should chair a small sub-committee of the type used by the Government on a regular basis. Its membership should include the line Ministers including, especially, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It would also concern the Taoiseach because of his interest in the mid-west region. At local level, if one wants political support, with which I agree, both Deputy O'Dea, as the senior Minister in the area, and a former senior Minister, Deputy Noonan, should co-chair a group of politicians. It is not that this will be the panacea to solve this problem, but Mr. Brosnan wants political support. We can give it to him, but it must be co-ordinated. It is an asset that we have Mr. Brosnan. If we give him the necessary political support, I believe he will stay with it and we will see results.

We have in the region a shining example of an agency that has done more for regional development than any other agency in this country, that is, Shannon Development, an organisation much maligned and criticised over the years and whose powers were taken away. The Government took away the power of creating local indigenous enterprise and handed it over to Enterprise Ireland. In the Kerry area, the dynamic which existed when Shannon Development had responsibility for local indigenous industrial development was far greater than it is at present. The dynamic presence in the region has been reduced since it was set up by Dr. Brendan O'Regan. This has been referred to.

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