26 July 2001 Edition
State of the West report a call to action
BY SEAN MacMANUS
Who was surprised at the State of the West Report produced by the Western Development Commission? Better still, who believes that the necessary policies are in place to tackle the wholesale underdevelopment of the region? It seems that it is only the Dublin government that still clings to the forlorn belief that the National Development Plan can redress decades of under investment and neglect in the west.
So what did the Western Development Commission report find? The report found serious infrastructure problems in terms of roads, rail, power and telecommunications.
Take the issue of power supply as one simple example. For some areas they are doing well, having only to worry about low voltage. This worsens in some regions to a case of possible overloads and in Northwest Mayo the possibility of voltage collapse. How you are supposed to develop indigenous business in these conditions or even hope to attract international business to a region that cannot guarantee power supply is left unanswered by the coalition government.
This report is in essence a call to action. It must not be let fall on deaf ears. Despite the bounty created for some by the Celtic Tiger economy and commitments made under the National Development Plan, the WDC report confirms what we already know - serious underdevelopment persists in the Northwest region while newly-generated wealth remains concentrated on the eastern seaboard.
This underdevelopment is starkly illustrated by the two major findings of the document, which are the lack of adequate infrastructure and the failure to create new jobs in the Northwest. Sinn Féin has repeatedly drawn attention to the serious deficits in transport, power and telecommunication infrastructure in this region and this report fully endorses our position. Poor road quality, lack of sufficient energy and telecommunication facilities are serious deterrents to investment in the Northwest.
Of particular concern are the report's disturbing findings about the state of development and job creation in Sligo and Leitrim. These figures show that earnings in both counties remain well below both the national and regional averages (Sligo £13,715 per annum, Leitrim £13,047 per annum).
Even more staggering is the data on job creation. In Sligo, the increase in state-assisted job creation for 1995-2000 was a mere 0.8% of the national figure and only 704 jobs were created in five years.
In Leitrim, while the increase in state-assisted job creation for 1995-2000 was 12.2%, the net increase in state-assisted jobs for this period was a mere 0.1%. These sad statistics are compounded by the data on net job change. The net job increase in Sligo in 1999-2000 was only 58 jobs. Leitrim actually experienced a net jobs loss in 1999-2000 (31 jobs net loss).
It is also evident that most of our graduates entering the workforce have to look outside Sligo\Leitrim for their first job. Only 21.3% of new Sligo graduates found their first job in Sligo. Only 7.4% of new Leitrim graduates found their first job in Leitrim.
These findings are outrageous, shameful, and unacceptable. Where is our promised share of the ``economic miracle''?
The WDC report calls for ``radical and dramatic action'' to remedy the situation and characterizes the current National Development Plan provisions as ``insufficient''. I welcome the report's major conclusions and recommendations.
I wish to put the government on notice that the people of Sligo and Leitrim will not be treated as second class citizens any longer, and will not stand for more empty promises from the government - or any other party - on regional development.
I would greet with skepticism any allegations of commitment to regional development made by Labour leader Ruairi Quinn during his Sligo/Leitrim visit. Despite having had the opportunity to do so, governments involving Labour in the past have clearly not prioritised Northwestern development in any meaningful way.
While I welcome the WDC report and fully support its proposals, what we need now is to harness the political will to ensure delivery on the long-promised investment, infrastructure, and job creation. This must mean that all our local public representatives work together to ensure that Sligo\Leitrim gets a fair deal from central government.
Who was surprised at the State of the West Report produced by the Western Development Commission? Better still, who believes that the necessary policies are in place to tackle the wholesale underdevelopment of the region? It seems that it is only the Dublin government that still clings to the forlorn belief that the National Development Plan can redress decades of under investment and neglect in the west.
So what did the Western Development Commission report find? The report found serious infrastructure problems in terms of roads, rail, power and telecommunications.
Take the issue of power supply as one simple example. For some areas they are doing well, having only to worry about low voltage. This worsens in some regions to a case of possible overloads and in Northwest Mayo the possibility of voltage collapse. How you are supposed to develop indigenous business in these conditions or even hope to attract international business to a region that cannot guarantee power supply is left unanswered by the coalition government.
This report is in essence a call to action. It must not be let fall on deaf ears. Despite the bounty created for some by the Celtic Tiger economy and commitments made under the National Development Plan, the WDC report confirms what we already know - serious underdevelopment persists in the Northwest region while newly-generated wealth remains concentrated on the eastern seaboard.
This underdevelopment is starkly illustrated by the two major findings of the document, which are the lack of adequate infrastructure and the failure to create new jobs in the Northwest. Sinn Féin has repeatedly drawn attention to the serious deficits in transport, power and telecommunication infrastructure in this region and this report fully endorses our position. Poor road quality, lack of sufficient energy and telecommunication facilities are serious deterrents to investment in the Northwest.
Of particular concern are the report's disturbing findings about the state of development and job creation in Sligo and Leitrim. These figures show that earnings in both counties remain well below both the national and regional averages (Sligo £13,715 per annum, Leitrim £13,047 per annum).
Even more staggering is the data on job creation. In Sligo, the increase in state-assisted job creation for 1995-2000 was a mere 0.8% of the national figure and only 704 jobs were created in five years.
In Leitrim, while the increase in state-assisted job creation for 1995-2000 was 12.2%, the net increase in state-assisted jobs for this period was a mere 0.1%. These sad statistics are compounded by the data on net job change. The net job increase in Sligo in 1999-2000 was only 58 jobs. Leitrim actually experienced a net jobs loss in 1999-2000 (31 jobs net loss).
It is also evident that most of our graduates entering the workforce have to look outside Sligo\Leitrim for their first job. Only 21.3% of new Sligo graduates found their first job in Sligo. Only 7.4% of new Leitrim graduates found their first job in Leitrim.
These findings are outrageous, shameful, and unacceptable. Where is our promised share of the ``economic miracle''?
The WDC report calls for ``radical and dramatic action'' to remedy the situation and characterizes the current National Development Plan provisions as ``insufficient''. I welcome the report's major conclusions and recommendations.
I wish to put the government on notice that the people of Sligo and Leitrim will not be treated as second class citizens any longer, and will not stand for more empty promises from the government - or any other party - on regional development.
I would greet with skepticism any allegations of commitment to regional development made by Labour leader Ruairi Quinn during his Sligo/Leitrim visit. Despite having had the opportunity to do so, governments involving Labour in the past have clearly not prioritised Northwestern development in any meaningful way.
While I welcome the WDC report and fully support its proposals, what we need now is to harness the political will to ensure delivery on the long-promised investment, infrastructure, and job creation. This must mean that all our local public representatives work together to ensure that Sligo\Leitrim gets a fair deal from central government.