Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a rural Deputy, my concern is how Project Ireland 2040 will improve the development of county towns and smaller centres of population, including our villages. This is a ten-year capital plan for bricks and mortar and a 20-year vision for national development in designing where people will live and work. I felt a little uneasy when I saw the media hype surrounding the launch of the two documents. It was as if the Government was trying to convince itself about the merits of these projects, not to mention convincing the electorate. Six days later, we are back to trying to solve our current crises, namely, those relating to the shortage of housing and the health service.

In our health service, an average of 612 people have been on trolleys over the past four days. This is equal to the peak number on trolleys on 6 January 2017. We need to reform our health service through Sláintecare, but that is as much about reforming culture, process and management structures as it is about introducing bricks and mortar and building new services and new hospitals.

Planning and projections are, of course, important and there will be no perfect document. However, I feel that the rush to put this on a statutory footing is ill-judged, especially before it is closely examined. The plan is very urban centred, concentrating service and infrastructure development in five cities and a few provincial towns of strategic political importance. Vast areas of rural Ireland will fall further behind in job opportunities and sustainability. We need balanced regional development but we also need balanced development within our regions. Rather than having a view of not wishing to spread resources thinly, we should take the view that each citizen should have an equal opportunity to live and work outside urban centres, or at least have that choice.

Connectivity and infrastructure should allow a more even distribution of jobs and people, and not create a number of city states. Our 19th century county towns need to be rejuvenated, not just as places to live, but also as places to work. Our villages need to be sustainable and vibrant, but they can only do so if there is employment within or nearby and if farming is supported as a viable career.

Out of a total of €116 billion, a €1 billion rural regeneration and development fund over a ten year period equates to less than 1% spread over 26 counties. Other developments in Project Ireland 2040 will indirectly help non-urban centres. However, an allocation of €1 billion out of €116 billion can hardly be described as balanced or fair, particularly when one compares it the resources going into our cities and major urban centres.

I listened to the leader of the Green Party, Deputy Eamon Ryan, during the last discussion of the plan. His contribution to this debate extolled the virtue of compact urban living, arguing that Project Ireland 2040 did not go far enough in urbanisation. He is not alone in this regard. Rather than create jobs more evenly outside cities, he proposes to bring people into cities and concentrate jobs therein, building urban cores where people live and work to the detriment of rural society. The Green Party is clearly more an urban Green Party than an inclusive all-Ireland Green Party. This plan sees rural Ireland as a holiday playground rather than an economic entity which is sustainable all year round. The Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East need to have people living and working along their paths. How can they be sustainable if there is not a hinterland and an indigenous population?

Compact development is the main theme of Project Ireland 2040, concentrating on five major cities for living and job creation. Adherents to this philosophy will appreciate this plan. However, if one believes we should be building a society which is more diverse, then this plan is a major disappointment. Must we always strive to squeeze the maximum efficiency, with no regard to quality of life or a balanced society? Must we concentrate on our economy rather than our society? How will citizens afford to buy or rent in high-density centres? Will they be happy with their quality of life? I predict that compact urban development in five urban centres will suck the life-blood from our towns and villages, should there be any left in those areas, as many of your young people have already migrated to our cities or emigrated to foreign parts due to the lack of job opportunities.

The plan does have positive aspects. The development of green energy is to be welcomed. Renewable energy projects harnessing natural offshore wind, wave and solar energy are important policy objectives. The development of functional and practical electric cars is a goal worth pursuing. Looking at a green future for Moneypoint and all other peat-burning stations is the right thing to do.

The Minister of Health, Deputy Simon Harris, recently referred to the Sláintecare report and the plan to provide 2,600 extra beds. I note that the population of Ireland is projected to increase by 1,000,000, which is equivalent to the requirement of an additional 2,600 beds. As such, these 2,600 beds will just allow us to stand still. Yes, the provision of elective-only hospitals is very positive. However, we must look at the culture, process and management changes that need to occur in our health service. That is the core of the Sláintecare report. It is not just about bricks and mortar.

I welcome the capital programme to provide €100 million for the development of Shannon Group property portfolio and the €10 million sum for the development of the Bunratty visitor centre. However, developing the infrastructure of Dublin Airport for an overwhelmingly dominant role in air travel is very unbalanced, particularly when the airports of Shannon, Cork and Knock have substantial passenger capacity and potential as aviation hubs. The proposed M20 motorway between Cork and Limerick, which links the motorway north to Tuam and eventually to Sligo, is essential for the region and is welcome. I also welcome the proposal to build 3,500 social houses in County Clare as part of the Rebuilding Ireland plan. Ultimately, county towns and villages of Clare will depend on what proportion of the €1 billion rural regeneration and development fund, which is earmarked for towns with a population of less than 1,000, they can access. The sum of €1 billion is a fraction of €116 Billion. When one considers that Metro North will cost €3.2 billion, and probably more, the regional disparity in investment is put in perspective.

On the positive side I feel Clare is in a strong position to tap into the proposed rejuvenation and development fund. I hope this fund will synchronise with Clare rural development strategy 2026, which was launched last September by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Michael Ring. Clare was the first county to launch a rural development strategy following the Government’s action plan for rural development. The elected members and the executive of Clare County Council are to be congratulated for developing this plan. The ten year strategy targets the creation of 4,000 jobs over the lifetime of the plan through the development of community-led social enterprises supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Clare Local Enterprise Office, the Office of the Action Plan for Jobs, the Leader programme and the rural and community support unit of Clare County Council. Digital hubs will be established at numerous locations throughout the county to support rural enterprise by facilitating e-working, small-scale training and conferencing. The strategy also targets the development of community-run multi-service centres, which will aim to provide a range of public services such as GP care, postal services, social protection, health care, transport, advice and information from a single building. Innovative rural transport initiatives, such as a proposed "rural Uber", community car-pooling and community bus services such as LocalLink and Clare Bus are also earmarked under the strategy. Clare County Council will establish a rural community development officer in each of Clare’s four municipal districts.

While the overall population of County Clare grew over the past 30 years, particular rural areas suffered a population decline of up to 35%. These are areas in the peninsula area of Loop Head and in north Clare. Depopulated areas lost much of their agricultural and retail employment and gained few jobs in emerging sectors. Primary school and GP service closures and threatened closure of Garda stations, post offices and banking services have followed this rural depopulation. It is thus important to note the differences in development that exist between the corridor connecting Ennis, Shannon and Limerick and the rest of the county. Project Ireland 2040 must redress this imbalance, and whether this plan has the focus to do so is questionable. Hopefully, the Clare rural development strategy will redress this imbalance. The challenges to our farming sector are magnified by the threats of Brexit, the proposed Mercosur trade agreement and climate change.

Of course there must be a plan to develop Ireland over the next ten to 20 years. However, this plan is urban-centred and leaves county struggling to have its voice heard over city. It lacks balance within regions where rural life, while tolerated, is seen as a drain on our economy and can be sacrificed in favour of compact city development. This is a short-sighted view of our future. It is unfair and as the plan unfolds I hope that rural Ireland will not continue to be marginalised.

See this speech in context