A Government pledge in the National Development Plan to spend more per capita on infrastructure in the underdeveloped Border, Midlands and Western Region (BMW) no longer stands because of the huge amount of extra money being put into Dublin transport a leading western campaigner has claimed.
Dr Seamus Caulfield has accused the Government of "enormous differences in treatment" in spending decisions for key infrastructure projects in different parts of the State.He said that with the new Platform for Change strategy document dealing with transport in the greater Dublin area, an additional €2.7 billion is to be spent beyond what was allocated in the National Development Plan.
However, projects being sought in the west such as the re-opening of the rail line between Limerick and Sligo, which would only cost a fraction of the extra money being allocated to Dublin, cannot be considered until after 2006 because they are not included in the NDP. Dr Caulfield was among a number of speakers at a recent West Infrastructure Now meeting in Knock, Co Mayo, where the Government was strongly criticised.
The National Development Plan had as one of its stated aims balanced regional development and the Government placed great emphasis on the fact that more money per capita was being allocated in the Border, Midlands and Western region than in the more developed South and East region.
The per capita allocations for economic and social infrastructure were €7,618 in the South and East and €8,253 in the BMW region. But Dr Caulfield pointed out that with the extra money being allocated to Dublin transport, which covers the increased costs of opting for an underground train system, the per capita allocation for the South and East was now €8,888.
"The money being allocated to Dublin transport gives the lie to the idea that if it is not in the NDP it can't happen until after 2006," he said. Dr Caulfield also accused the Government of making contradictory statements in relation to the provision of natural gas to the north west.
Gas would be brought ashore from the Corrib fields and a pipeline from Mayo to Galway would be built, but it was "time for definite answers" about when towns in Mayo and Sligo would be connected.
Promises were made over a year ago but when a second gas interconnector between Ireland and Scotland was announced last week it was clear there was no question of doing anything about connecting Mayo and Sligo, Dr Caulfield said.
The money needed would be "small beans" compared to the additional money being given to Dublin transport.
The Government plan to bring gas out of the west would inevitably result in development being pulled out of the region, he said. Mr Sean Hannick, vice-chairman of the Council for the West, said the IDA or Enterprise Ireland could not be expected to attract development to a region where power provision could not be depended on.
A company in Co Mayo recently incurred a cost of €63,000 because of an electricity outage, and the cost of IT connection could be up to 70 per cent higher in the west than in other regions, Mr Hannick said. Dr Patricia O'Hara of the Western Development Commission said telecommunications infrastructure, which was vital to attracting development, had to be installed first and there were serious questions of cost and access which had to be urgently addressed.
In relation to energy there was a need to substantially upgrade transmission and distribution lines.
She said the Government would have to support the provision of natural gas to Mayo and Sligo as the economics of deregulation dictated that investment would go where profits were greatest.