Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was in the middle of things with the Minister of State on the Bill and what is happening. I was proposing to the Minister of State that if we are to be serious about the development of the west, the Government should set up this new Department there. We have waited for years for something to happen. The Minister of State knows the people have lost patience. Something needs to happen very quickly and we need action straight away.

Banking services are one issue. In Ballygar, Dunmore, Strokestown, Elphin and many other towns, Bank of Ireland is withdrawing services. It is withdrawing counter services, which is a huge issue for Government. The taxpayer bailed out the bank, the State holds 14% of its shares, but it is, frankly, uninterested in rural communities. A number of business people in those towns have met me and told me, as the Minister of State knows well, that once a bank is taken out, the heart and soul of the town is gone. That is what the people of Glenamaddy in County Galway tell me and will tell the Minister of State. The Bank of Ireland is not going to pull back on this no matter how hard we fight it. The question, therefore, is what the Government will do about community banking. We need action here. We need this to move forward. We need to provide a banking service for the people in many of these towns.

The lack of investment in the N4 and N5 projects for many years is deeply concerning. Last year a number of very successful businesses in County Mayo met us in the Minister of State's town of Westport and had one clear message about the state of the national primary route, the N5. They said their bosses in America and elsewhere were saying they could not continue to do business in Ireland unless the road network improved, in particular in the west. The Minister of State must admit that when Fianna Fáil was in power, a great deal of money was invested in roads and many improvements were made. That stopped. The excuse of the recession could be used for a few years, but there is now more money available. We must see a plan in place for both the N4 and the N5.

I turn to the issue of jobs. We talk about balanced regional development, which was a major point in the programme for Government, but it is simply not happening. When I go to Ballaghaderreen, Boyle and Roscommon town, I see no jobs being created by the Government. There have been no visits to the county by the IDA. No debate is going on to bring jobs to these regions. Broadband was the subject of many promises. Several deadlines have already been missed. I will not go into that because I want to give my colleagues time. Companies are crying out for better broadband. A few months ago in my town, a firm the Minister of State knows well had to be bring its business to the town of Mullingar to email material to Sweden. That is how bad it is. We must deal with situations like that.

In the previous Government, a number of Ministers did not like the idea of decentralisation to any other part of Ireland. While there were difficulties in some parts of the country, decentralisation was generally a success. It needs to be back on the agenda.

The revaluation of property is a massive problem. The Minister knows it. In many towns throughout the country, the revaluation of property is in some cases reducing the rates debt on a business but in many other cases it will put them out on the road.

There is a huge number of issues. Take towns such as Ballinasloe. Galway city is bursting at the seams while Ballinasloe is barely holding on. There is no development there. Nothing is going on. Why are we not suggesting or proposing to bring some businesses or Government services to towns such as Ballinasloe?

I will now pass to my colleagues, Deputies Cassells, Aindrias Moynihan and Troy, as I do not want to take all of the time.

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