Widening east-west gap raises questions

The Council for the West has questioned the Government's commitment to regional development, after a recent report showed the economic gap between east and west is set to widen further by 2006.

Despite the publicity to the contrary, the National Development Plan is geared towards "maintaining the status quo", and consolidating areas of high growth. The major investments will still go to the south and east region - except for Galway city - and there is a "stone wall" mentality towards Border areas, according to the report by the special programmes section of Donegal County Council.

The Border, Midland and West (BMW) region defined for Objective 1 status will continue to grow at a slower rate than the south and east - now Objective 1 in transition - over the next five years of EU structural funds, the report found. By 2006 the 36-point gap in Gross Value Added per capita between those regions will have widened further.

Mr Sean Hannick, who has succeeded Ms Marian Harkin as chairman of the Council for the West, said lack of infrastructure was the main obstacle. The Government must give "clear answers", including a timetable and list of priority projects, if the trend towards greater divergence between the two regions was to be halted, he said.

Mr Hannick cited his own county, Mayo, as an example. It has been badly hit by recent job losses, and the consequent swing against the Government was reflected in last week's TG4/MRBI constituency poll, which registered a surge in support for Fine Gael.

The council's shopping list for Mayo includes provision of dates for completion of the Western Corridor and accelerated development of the N5 from just outside Swinford to Strokestown. Engineers have advised the council this part of the road is about to collapse.

The Athlone to Westport/Ballina railway line must also be improved immediately, with a target 2-1/2-hour journey to Dublin, Mr Hannick says. There should also be greater commitment to developing Knock Airport services, specifically a regular link to Britain and a push to develop the proposed technology park there.

Power supply is also a sore point. "The benefits of information technology to peripheral areas are lost when power is at 110kV north of Galway," Mr Hannick said. "Sufficient power is critical to IT companies."

The western area is also at a disadvantage in not having fibre-optic cables. Co Mayo recently lost an IT project because it lacked the infrastructure, he claimed.

The Western Development Commission (WDC) has also noted that unbalanced regional development is, in the words of its chief executive, Mr Liam Scollan, "as persistent as ever".

The WDC has welcomed the clear commitment given by the IDA to the regions, but the challenge to deliver a fair share of new jobs to the west is still not being met, the commission said earlier this month.

The evidence is reflected in the IDA's own job announcement figures, it said. Of the 13,780 jobs announced nationally last year, less than 10 per cent (1,246 jobs) were in the seven western counties which the WDC is charged with promoting, and half of the posts were in Galway city.

"If one excludes Galway city, just 650 of these 13,780 jobs were provided in Cos Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare," Mr Scollan said.

Similar concern about the reality of Objective 1 was voiced at a recent meeting in Loughrea, Co Galway, between members of Developing the West Together and representatives of the Council for the West, including Mr Hannick, Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert and Bishop Christy Jones of Elphin. Developing the West Together is a movement of western farmers and bishops, which started as a lobby group.

Twelve years on, its founder members say the viability of the small family farm is still seriously under threat, and they think Objective 1 status represents nothing more than "words and promises".

Mr Martin Collins, chairman of its south-east Galway core group, said many people at the meeting agreed that there was no policy to sustain the 40 to 50-acre farm. Yet that farmer was the custodian of the rural environment, he said.

"It was traditional farming which shaped the landscape we see today, and these practices need to be maintained," he said. "With this type of farming, we would have a much healthier and cleaner environment."

The meeting heard that the "industrial hub of the M50 motorway" appeared to be more attractive for production companies than the BMW region. "What then are the benefits of Objective 1 status?" the agreed statement issued after the meeting asked.

Those attending called for immediate publication of the Government's national spatial plan, which is being drawn up by the Department of the Environment, and an urgent meeting with the Cabinet to discuss implementation of policies for the BMW region. This, it was hoped, "might dispel some of the apparent apathy".