Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the Minister's response because it is much the same as what we heard a number of months ago from the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys. The owners of the premises used by the Department of Social Protection are one of the five groups which have tendered for the contract, but they have not been approached by the OPW. They have also made it clear, as have other property owners, that they are prepared to upgrade their buildings at their own expense. If this process had started before Christmas, they could have had the work completed by now.

The Minister mentioned the public services card office. As a preliminary measure, the administrative jobs could have been retained in Ballybay. The county council was prepared to provide the town council offices in Monaghan town at little or no rent fo the Department to carry out the public services card part of the remit. That would have facilitated a situation where the administrative jobs could have been retained in Ballybay and the public services card office could have been located in Monaghan town, at little cost to the State. However, instead of taking up this option, the Department has a taken a different option and documents are being prepared to lease a building from another individual.

There seems to be a lack of communication or a lack of information from the Department for the concerned community in Ballybay, the politicians of counties Cavan and Monaghan and the county council which has offered a premises in the county town. If the Department wished to have a public services card office located in the county town, the county council offered the now vacant town council offices to it, at little or no charge, but that option has not been taken up. My main concern is that the jobs be retained in the mid-Monaghan town of Ballybay because this is important for the local rural economy. It sends a bad signal to private investors if the Government will not invest in small rural towns. If it removes jobs from smaller towns, why should private investors invest in them?

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