Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

-----for the village and the large hinterland it serves throughout north Clare and into places in east Clare such as Tulla and Feakle. I also wish to put on record the need to deliver the remaining elements of the western rail corridor. We have a vibrant region in the mid-west and that is good not just for the west but for the entire country. We need a counter-pole to Dublin. Balanced regional development means supporting the economic and social development of all regions in their effort to achieve their full potential.

Chambers of commerce in the mid-west, including those in Limerick, Shannon and Ennis have supported the need to develop a national conference facility in the region. The mid-west is situated half-way along the western rail corridor making it an ideal location to develop such a facility. The region can proudly boast a large amount of first-class hotels and guesthouses which could easily accommodate the number of people such a centre would attract. It is reasonable that the notion of having a major conference centre on the west coast should be pursued. If we are to take the stated aim of balanced regional development to its natural conclusion then a state-of-the-art conference facility for the mid-west should form part of the strategy.

I support the legislation and call on the new Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to re-examine the proposal to develop a national conference facility in the mid-west region in the interest of balanced regional development.

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