Michael Brennan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher. I congratulate all concerned on the production of the national spatial strategy and on the extensive consultations which have taken place over the past three years throughout the country with local authorities, voluntary and professional organisations and members of the public. Never in the history of our country have we had so many plans, all of which are vital to our future development, on the table. I refer here to the national spatial strategy and the national development plan. We are very proud of what has been achieved to date and it is in all our interests that progress should continue in the coming years.

I have no doubt the national spatial strategy will bring benefits across the board, including to large and medium sized towns and rural areas, by encouraging more balanced regional development. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Irish economy transformed itself, developing and strengthening much faster and further than anyone anticipated. While not confined to Dublin and the larger urban centres of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, this prosperity was concentrated in those areas. In Dublin, development has been so intensive that the city has become severely congested in terms of investment, population growth, housing construction, transport and traffic. Some 77% of national employment is based in the Dublin area. Outside the five city areas to which I refer, the proportion of total population has fallen to 40%.

When implemented, the national spatial strategy, will encourage people to move out of the cities and return to regional locations. It will also counteract the imbalance of development between regions. Rural areas have nothing to fear from the national spatial strategy. The gateways and hubs will act as the engine of development, driving the economy forward. Gateway development must not be at the expense of rural areas, which must benefit from simultaneous investment.

The agricultural sector is still one of the more important components of our economy, although direct employment in that sector is falling. The national spatial strategy must include measures to support the agricultural sector and provide alternative sources of employment to sustain rural communities.

The vision of the national spatial strategy is for strong urban areas as well as vibrant rural areas. As centres of economic growth, large towns will need to provide a broad range of employment and services in education, health care and child care. Transport and easy access will also be essential. The strategy also aims to enhance the attractiveness of our larger towns as places where people wish to live and tourists wish to visit. The planning to which the Minister of State referred is central to that process. Planning for those larger towns will have to be of an excellent standard, including compact physical planning, public transport and green areas. The strategy will also present many challenges for our planning system. It is vitally important to ensure that there is a coherent relationship on planning issues as between regional and local authorities. That aspect must be tackled at a very early stage. Perhaps the Minister of State will clarify the role of regional authorities in that regard.