Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the motion and the amendment. I have addressed the question of decentralisation on numerous occasions both in this House and in the other House. I am supportive of the broad concept of decentralisation. The programme of decentralisation was announced by the Minister in his Budget Statement last December to the surprise of many.

In my view, approximately half the announcements and the proposals are reasoned, reasonable and real. They are workable and they will work. I regret to conclude that the other half or at least a majority of the remaining half will turn out to be political pet projects, cruel con jobs which will not work, in my view.

If the Minister of State requires proof of my argument, I ask him and his colleague to consider the announcement with respect to Mitchelstown. The Minister of State will be familiar with that town when he wears his agricultural hat. The town has recently suffered and is continuing to suffer a significant degree of job losses. There was some surprise in the town and in my view there was some surprise politically at the announcement made by the Minister for Finance that 200 jobs would be decentralised from the Bus Éireann headquarters in Dublin to Mitchelstown which is to become the new centre for Bus Éireann. This was welcome news for Mitchelstown and the region and welcomed by all concerned for the future of Mitchelstown.

There are fewer than 100 people working in the Bus Éireann headquarters in Dublin. There have been many political riddles from this Government and from the Minister for Finance and his colleagues, but will the Minister of State explain the riddle of how 200 jobs will move from Bus Éireann headquarters to Mitchelstown when fewer than 100 people work in Bus Éireann headquarters? I regard this as a cruel, political con trick.