James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I compliment the Leader of the House for facilitating us with a debate on the mid-term review of the BMW region and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish the Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and the entire Cabinet were here to hear Senator MacSharry relate the neglect by the Government of the BMW region. He listed statistics in a range of areas from infrastructure through education to health. The Senator knows what is not happening in the BMW region and why there has been an underspend. As a Longford person I welcome the chance to discuss the lack of progress in a region which has much to offer to the native population and to visitors.

The BMW region has 47% of the land area of the country but only 27% of the population. It has a weak urban base, with only 32% of its population in urban areas compared with 68% for the rest of the country. The population growth rate of 1.7% between 1991 and 1996 is slower than in the rest of the country, with a population density half that of the national average. It is comprised predominantly of rural areas, some of which are disadvantaged and suffer from a lack of agricultural and infrastructural resources. After years of relative decline, however, recent years have seen some expansion, with output growing by 7.5% in current prices between 1991 and 1996 and the numbers at work growing by nearly 44,000 in the same period.

Some of the results of the mid-term evaluation of the BMW regional operational programme, however, are alarming to say the least. Little funding has been drawn down in several areas, including general rural development, e-commerce, agriculture, tourism and waste management because of Government bureaucracy, red tape and neglect.

Unlike the affluent connotations of its name, the BMW region did not have a tiger in its tank. While the southern and eastern regions have had a disproportionate share of the fruits of the Celtic tiger, we have had to make do with far less than a fair or equitable share. We urgently need to remove administrative obstacles and red tape and give more focus and drive to the operational programmes. If we do not fund them we will have to go back to the EU as happened in the past. However, we may not receive favourable treatment because a huge number of new nations are also looking for funding. It is, therefore, important that we spend the funding we are given.

The BMW region is urgently in need of investment in infrastructure, including roads, rail, communications, broadband and natural gas. It is a shame that natural gas is brought from the west through the midlands to the east coast while nearly all the towns in the BMW region are neglected. We have called several times for a spur to be brought from Athlone or Moate to Longford. To date, this has not happened and the Government seems to have no intention of doing it despite demands from development associations, county development boards and so on in the different counties.

The allocation of €600 million in the national development plan has not been spent in the BMW region. Moreover, the national development plan has failed to address the imbalance between the BMW region and the southern and eastern regions. Major deficits are still evident in these areas.

Despite increased expenditure on roads nationally, there is slow progress on the upgrading of many national and secondary routes throughout the region, for example, the N5 Kinnegad-Galway motorway, the N2, N3, N60, N62, N63, N52 and N55. I have called repeatedly for the development of the N55 because if it was properly developed it would divert much of the traffic from the east coast back through the midlands. It would make great sense to develop it. This case has been put forward several times by the Midland Regional Authority and also by the BMW regional assembly. There is wonderful support for it but the Government has not taken any initiative on it. With the national secondary routes being of the utmost importance to the BMW region, greater investment is urgently needed.

The Minister has travelled the N55 and seen the bottlenecks and the poor structure of the route between Athlone and Cavan. Something needs to be done. It must be given higher priority than it is getting at present from Government. The latest announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, surprisingly pre-empts the publication of any details by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, on a ten-year transport plan. It is hardly credible, let alone seeming to offer hope to the BMW region.

With the national development plan in its fifth year, spending at mid-term in the BMW region under the regional operational programme has been slow to date. Only 54% of the target expenditure was spent from January 2000 to June 2004, with agriculture and rural development reaching only 26% of the target for the period. Expenditure from June 2002 to June 2005 highlights the under-funding of the BMW region. On the productivity sector of the operational programme, the national spend is 62%. The spend in the BMW region is 39% while it is 61% in the southern and eastern regions. On the economic and social infrastructure operational programme, the national spend is 91% while it is 75% in the BMW region and 96% in the southern and eastern regions. The figures speak for themselves.

The BMW region urgently needs an improved rail service plan. This was referred to by other Senators. The reopening of the western rail corridor is essential to the provision of commuter rail services to the major towns. In addition the rolling stock and services on the Sligo, Westport and Ballina lines must be upgraded. This has been called for repeatedly. Another essential element, which has been a pet project of mine for a long time, is a central rail line linking the towns of Roscommon, Tullamore, Mullingar, Longford and Cavan in the midlands. It is important to begin developing in this region. To reach Cork from Longford or Westmeath one must go either to Dublin or Port Laoise. We deserve better than that in this modern era of communications.

Airport facilities are of growing importance in order to attract inward investment and tourism. With the competition now associated with the tourism industry and the changing face of holidays and holiday destinations, ease of access is essential to attract tourists to the region. Knock is the only international airpost in the BMW region, with the south west being served by three airports, Shannon, Cork and Kerry. Abbeyshrule Airfield, with which the Minister is very familiar, should be developed for the midlands. When he represented the constituency of Longford-Westmeath and Longford-Roscommon, the former Taoiseach, Mr. Albert Reynolds, gave a commitment to develop Abbeyshrule. That was a decade ago and little has happened since then apart from the efforts of the local committee.

A matter of grave concern is the complete lack of expenditure in the BMW region in important areas such as recreational angling and marine tourism. No resources have been put in place for regional sports centres or the development of a new swimming pool for Longford. These areas are an essential ingredient in any tourism package. We are still awaiting child care facilities. There is a huge number of applicants in the BMW region but the issue seems to have been put on the back boiler. It is important to recognise the areas of greatest weakness within the BMW region which have been repeatedly outlined. I will not cite the entire list.

A regional foresight study is being undertaken in the BMW area by the regional assembly. My brother, Larry Bannon, is the only Longford County Council representative on the assembly and he is doing his best. However, he is frustrated with the slow rate of progress and the fact that Government red tape and bureaucracy is preventing the assembly from drawing down the necessary funds to develop the region.

I hope the Minister will take note of what has been said today by the Opposition and by members of the Fianna Fáil Party. They are very disappointed, as are we, with the slow pace of drawing down funding for the various projects in the region. I hope we will see firm action after today's debate.