Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

This has been a useful debate and the key issue has been raised by Senator Kitt. Since the Government set out in a national spatial strategy where it wants to make settlement policies over the next ten years, it is logical that at its first opportunity of directing jobs to the regions it will follow that plan. We have made a huge mistake. This is stroke politics at its worst, whether it comes from this side of the House or the other. This scatter-gun approach, with a little offered to everyone, is appalling. It is neither sensible, strategic or sustainable. If we are serious about doing something about the imbalance between east and west we should pick one or two locations in the west of Ireland and go for them.

The Shannon and Limerick region is the most logical place for strategic development in order to stop the pull between east and west, because it has an airport, third level education facilities and all kinds of industries. If we are serious about stopping the expansion of Dublin and doing something for regional development, all the international evidence is that one should select one or two areas, rather than 56, as the Government did before the last local elections. One should run with those areas and try to do something significant for regional development. The great fault on all sides lies in thinking that every area can get four or five, 50 or 60 jobs here or there. That will do nothing for regional development in the long term. There are many people in Dublin who want to see genuine regional development to reduce the gridlock, stop the crazy hike in house prices and so on.

There are jobs which can be usefully decentralised. One of the reasons the Department of Social and Family Affairs is such a success in parts of County Donegal is that much of its task is administrative. If one is serious about policy, one must keep the key decision-makers close to each other. It is crazy that people will regularly criss-cross the country to discuss policy in respect of various Departments. If we stop the stroke politics and go back to basics on this issue, then we will be able to do something significant for regional development.