Kieran Phelan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for joining us to discuss this vital issue. Decentralisation has many advantages. By relocating various Government bodies and Departments away from Dublin we will be easing pressure on the capital and its infrastructure, as well as easing the pressure on the housing market in the city and reducing its traffic levels. With the vast majority of Dublin civil servants based in and around the city centre, such a relocation of staff would have a profound effect on the rush-hour traffic.

It is not just Dublin which will benefit from such measures. Decentralisation will have a significant effect on the towns and cities to which these Government bodies and Departments will move. Hundreds of thousands of people moving into towns throughout Ireland will have a significant effect on regional economies and a real effect on the ground. Local shops will experience a greater demand for their products and local service providers will have many more potential clients.

Such a boost to the local economy for any given area might also contribute to preventing further regional emigration. As the local economy improves, it will help to create more employment opportunities, will act as a spur for the development of better infrastructure, and provide an incentive for the building of more houses and other amenities. All these measures will help provide a better local government to help correct the impression held by many young people from outside Dublin, namely that if they wish to succeed, if they want opportunities, if they want to build a happy and healthy life with all the perks that modern Irish life provides, they must move to Dublin.