Bishops call for more investment in the west

West of Ireland bishops have appealed to the Government for a fair share of infrastructural spend for the Border, midlands and western (BMW) region.

Bishop of Elphin Dr Christy Jones, spokesman for the Council for the West, said the capital envelopes for the national roads and public transport programmes were estimated to be about €20 billion.

The BMW region expected 40 per cent of that, or €8 billion, in the interests of honouring commitments to balanced regional development, he said.

"That is not happening at the moment," Dr Jones said. "Much progress has been achieved, but the gap is actually widening between east and west by the day.

"Up to now, there has been some ring-fencing of structural funds, mainly forced by Europe, but from now on, there will be very limited structural funding.

"We are calling on the Government to ensure balanced regional development is put in place and resources are ring-fenced for the underdeveloped part of the country. Otherwise, there will be decreased investment for the region," Dr Jones added.

"Achievement of regional balance must become a much stronger national objective rather than an EU policy objective." A better, more balanced spatial distribution of population and economic activity was better more in the national interest, he said.

The bishops warn against a "knee-jerk" tendency to invest in east coast infrastructure and refer to the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) population forecast for Dublin of 2.1 million people by 2021.

They call for "vision from Government" and actions that match a commitment to regional balance which would create a better society for all.

It is estimated there is already a €2 billiounderspend in the BMW region, in the five years of the National Development Plan to date, which is seriously affecting the region's ability to attract foreign direct investment, the group states.

"It is equivalent to the Government putting its hand into the pockets of the people of the BMW region and giving €2,000 million to a region that has almost double the GDP.

"This underspend hasbeen happening over the past number of years with very little interest from the national media."

Dr Jones is a member of the Council for the West, a voluntary non-political organisation, along with fellow bishops Dr John Fleming and Dr Thomas Finnegan.

Economic circumstances have changed in the western region since bishops based there took political initiatives in the late 1980s. These included publication of a pastoral letter on emigration in 1987, and formation of the Developing the West Together group in 1991, which published the ground-breaking report, A Crusade for Survival, in 1994.

However, lack of infrastructure spending is still a focus for the council, chaired by Seán Hannick. It recently briefed the Oireachtas and European Parliament members at a meeting in Dublin.