Seanad debates

Wednesday, 21 May 2003

Decentralisation Programme: Statements.

 

10:30 am

Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

Too much of our public administration is still concentrated in the capital. In Dublin, we have rapid population growth which is putting pressure on public services and threatening to damage the quality of life. In certain rural areas, the opposite is happening – population decline is putting pressure on the viability of public services and threatening to damage the quality of life. This is a pattern of development, which is neither economically efficient nor socially sustainable. One of the obvious solutions is to commence the decentralisation of civil and public service jobs from Dublin to other parts of the country.

Decentralisation has the potential to revitalise towns and villages. It will also have a major positive impact on the quality of life of thousands of families. As a Government, we can build crèches and implement flexible working hours for State workers, but we will never tackle the real stress of commuter workers until we relocate Departments and ensure that people do not have to get on the road at 6 a.m. to be at their desk for 9 a.m.

As a result of the pressures on house prices in recent years, a three-hour daily commute from Kildare to Kildare Street now seems like a stroll in the park, particularly when one considers that many travel from as far away as Wexford, Thurles and Tullamore. These are young people – often young couples with children – who are undertaking extraordinary commuting journeys to achieve the aim of home ownership. Added to the length of their working day, many of these people are away from their homes for in excess of 12 hours a day. I do not think there is anybody who is not sympathetic to the plight of such people.

For these families, there is a real quality of life deficit. Decentralisation has its part to play in making up some of this deficit. For that reason, if for no other, I would characterise decentralisation as a "quality of life" issue.

I am hopeful that decentralisation will have a much more significant impact than simply benefiting those who relocate and their families. I would like to see a profound change in this emphasis on east coast location. I am absolutely convinced that the Government can contribute its part to the east coast concentration through a comprehensive programme of decentralisation of Government Departments, offices and agencies.

The Government has fully committed itself to such an initiative in An Agreed Programme for Government. I take this opportunity to assure the House that the Government is steadfast in its determination to give full effect to its commitment in this regard. Interestingly the contributions made in the Dáil last week and, I am sure, those which will be made here this afternoon, point up the difficulties which any Minister for Finance has in finalising proposals for presentation to the Government.

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