Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My question refers to the Tánaiste's current Ministry rather than her past Ministry. In particular, it refers to the national planning framework, which is currently in draft form, how this document relates to the mid-western region of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, and in particular how it fails to address balanced regional development adequately and fails to harness the potential of the mid-west as a driver of national growth, as Ireland plans its future going forward to 2040. There is still an unhealthy dominance by the greater Dublin area. The draft plan does not fully harness the existing mid-west infrastructural entities, such as Shannon Airport and its international connectivity and industrial base, the university campus of Limerick and its innovative industries, the Shannon Estuary and its potential for maritime economic development, both in Clare and Limerick, and the position of the mid-west, particularly Ennis and Limerick, as the centre of the economic corridor between Galway and Cork.

A Programme for a Partnership Government promises to put in place measures to revitalise all Ireland in order that benefits are felt on every doorstep and in every community. It seems that, far from moving towards that aim of balanced regional development, we are going in the opposite direction. The proposal to restrict population growth outside larger urban areas is going to impact negatively on the fabric of rural towns and villages. The plan must provide for population and economic growth on a scale that will deliver balance in our economic recovery. To date, this has been a Dublin-centric model. The greater Dublin area will attract 50% of the estimated national population growth by 2040. This does not reflect equitable or effective regional balanced development, especially when one considers the housing shortage that will exist in the greater Dublin area for the next decade, as supply fails to meet demand. Population growth must be more regionalised and this can only happen if employment opportunities and services are developed in regions and not just concentrated in the Dublin area.

The draft plan is under review. Will the Tánaiste ensure that, when the plan is finalised, it effectively and definitively addresses regional development by funding infrastructure and economic drivers which will unlock the potential of regions such as the mid-west?

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