The towns and cities selected as destinations under the decentralisation programme will not be the only areas to benefit. The surrounding areas will also reap the rewards of this programme. As these civil servants set up home in nearby towns and villages, we will see a knock-on effect that will benefit the country as a whole, right down to the smallest communities. The simple addition of an extra family to any rural community can have a significant effect on its future. When this programme of decentralisation is implemented, along with the national spatial strategy, it will help keep to a minimum the brain drain that has been eating away at rural Ireland for decades.