Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, to the House. Senator Mansergh's comment that a commitment has been made cuts to the heart of this issue. The Government made a commitment but fell down on its delivery. Many economists have criticised the Government on this failure. In the BMW region alone, millions of euro of the money promised for regional development projects under the national development plan are still unspent. The total projected spend in the BMW region was €4.2 billion but there has been an underspend of €530 million. Think of the projects that could have been delivered with that money. This problem, which has been repeatedly raised by the Western Development Commission, must be recognised by the Government.

We were later told that the national spatial strategy would balance regional development. That has not happened and this reality is clearly visible on the ground. The majority of regional development still goes to the east and the south. The IDA's target of 50% of new greenfield jobs for the BMW has not been achieved and is not likely to be achieved. We must all ask why the IDA and the Government have failed to deliver on those issues in the BMW region, with the exception of Galway city which has done particularly well and of which we are all proud. The peripheral areas of the country have fallen flat.

Last week the Taoiseach said the midlands, west and Border regions had fared better than the other regions from the economic boom. Is it any wonder the groups representing the BMW region in the west have requested an urgent meeting with the Taoiseach to ask if he realises the situation on the ground? It is unbelievable that the Taoiseach could make such a statement when he must have been aware of the reality on the ground, of the underspend and the failure to deliver so many of the promised projects. We have a fanfare of activity when an initiative is announced, but when the Taoiseach makes such a statement, the west of Ireland is in serious trouble.

Mr. Seán Hannick, who is a director of the Western Development Commission, has said it is unbelievable that the Taoiseach's understanding of the position would be so wildly at variance with the facts on the ground. That needs urgent attention and it is great that we are having a debate with the Minister so we can highlight what can be done for the future development of the BMW region.

Many statistics have been given on the spend and underspend and the projects that have been completed or which are under way. Many valuable projects have been carried out. The underspend must have been siphoned off to other projects in other regions and we must highlight this fact. If this underspend has occurred, where are the grants that were supposed to come to the west as an Objective One region? Where have they gone? This is important.

In April, Deputy Cowen admitted to the Dáil that the shortfall from the BMW region between January 2000 and the end of June 2005 was €3.65 billion. While Deputy Cowen has given statistic after statistic on the cost of projects that are completed or in progress, the sad reality is that this startling underspend indicates that nobody in the Government is taking responsibility. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, is a typical example and must take the blame for the failure. The NRA will list projects in eastern areas such as Drogheda and Dundalk as part of the BMW region, and it is sad that it has to resort to this practice.

We are told that 95% of rural County Galway is unlikely to have broadband. This was stated approximately three weeks ago at a conference in Tullamore in the Minister's constituency. If we are being told in a glib fashion by Ministers and the Taoiseach that the west will have development, we need broadband. However, the areas which we are talking about developing, such as rural County Galway, are condemned to be without broadband access. It is no different in many other areas. While the hubs and gateways may have access to broadband, 27% of the population of the BMW will have to go without, and that figure is increasing. Some 47% of the population of the BMW region live in rural areas.

It is urgent that the Taoiseach realises his misunderstanding of the situation in the BMW region and that the Ministers responsible for delivery of the projects, particularly in transport and infrastructure, have failed miserably. An underspend of €3.65 billion in a four-year period is such serious negligence that if a reasonable Government was in place those people would be put in the back benches rather than be allowed to continue. Unaccountability and transparency are gone. If this debate means anything I hope it will highlight the reality compared with the promises. That is the issue. Deputy Cowen came to the House and read a list of spending achievements. However, the promises are not the issue, but the delivery of the projects.