Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I welcome the debate because this is a crucial issue. I do not blame any Government but, in many ways, the west is almost a wasteland, it is dying on its feet. I made this point last week about a number of towns. Kilbeggan and Ballinrobe are both without a hotel, although they had one previously. I travel the country more than most Members and always look for the old, traditional local hotel when I drive through a town. Most of the time it is either closed or there are better facilities in a guesthouse. For infrastructural reasons, Governments of all hues gave tax breaks to build hotels and while those schemes were abused, there was a good reason behind them.

The Minister of State was given the wrong advice. He mentioned commercial viability but people said budget airlines would not be commercially viable. They said the man who had decided to build a €13 million hotel in Ballymore, County Cavan, was out of his mind and that he would lose every penny. I have seen these ideas time and again and the problem with the decision making process is that it is driven too much by current demand without taking potential demand into account.

If the Minister of State, on his way home, takes the Summerhill road and the shortcut between Killucan and Milltownpass and crosses the canal, he will pass Killucan railway station. It is in the middle of nowhere within 40 minutes of Dublin and would be an ideal place for Westmeath County Council to develop and put in place infrastructure, giving something back to the village of Killucan which is fading away.

Towns should be encouraged to make a pitch for decentralisation. People used to build advance factories to attract businesses to their area. Towns should be asked to make similar pitches to show what they can offer to decentralised offices of Departments and should not get them just because they are located in a particular constituency. There are towns that already have the buildings and infrastructure in place, they simply need to be revitalised. Kilrush is an ideal example. I have no connection with the town whatsoever but it is a suitable candidate. There are wide streets, an old hotel that has closed down, like many in the area, and other large buildings where offices of Departments could be sited almost immediately. Kilrush, Newcastle West and Listowel have formed an axis to attract decentralisation and it makes sense. They are three very different towns that are culturally attractive, close to each other and to which development would give new drive.

I asked the chief executive officer of the largest and most successful IT company in Ireland what he looked for in a site. He told me that he preferred a greenfield site within an hour of an airport and which had connections to the rail system, broadband connection and housing, gyms and golf courses. He wanted space for his staff, he did not want to set up in a city. Such sites, with educational and social infrastructure, could be easily created.