Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a difficulty in that the published draft of the national planning framework will inhibit centres like Limerick, Galway and Cork in their capacity to plan for expansion into the future. That is what people in Limerick are saying to me, as I am sure they are likewise telling the Minister of State. Will he comment on that?

On IDA Ireland site visits, while the Minister of State cited the numbers for the mid-west, Limerick and Clare, which are welcome, what about counties Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Offaly and Roscommon? He did not refer to them in his reply.

Another barometer of the economic recovery is gross domestic product, GDP. Last year, 45%, or almost half, of our GDP was generated in the Dublin area. In the United Kingdom, by comparison, London city and the greater London area contributes 20% of national GDP. That is comparing like with like in reference to our neighbouring country and clearly shows we have a major problem when it comes to balanced regional development. IDA Ireland must do more to funnel jobs into those regions that have not experienced the upside of recovery.

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