Decentralisation could do 'serious lasting damage'

The Government's decentralisation programme could inflict "serious lasting damage" on the future well-being of the State, a conference was told at the weekend.

Dr Edward Walsh, president emeritus of the University of Limerick, said the plan to disperse eight of the 15 Government Departments to locations across the countryside ran counter to international experience and good practice. It took Ireland into "totally uncharted waters" and he could find no record of any government anywhere proposing such an idea, he said.

Dr Walsh told the annual conference of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants in Dublin on Saturday that he was in favour of decentralisation in principle and he had initially welcomed the announcement of the programme in December. However, he had become concerned about a number of issues as details of the programme emerged. Dr Walsh said he had discussed the programme with knowledgeable, respected and senior people.

He was disturbed at the cynicism with which most regarded the announcement, and the long list of concerns they expressed.

These included concern that no document or cost-benefit analysis had been made public to suggest the programme was designed to achieve optimal benefit for Ireland.