Western Commission sets target on £1bn development fund
A £1 BILLION plus priority plan for the economic and social development of the seven Western County region, under the Western Commission, will be in place by the end of the year, according to Commission Chief Executive Liam Scollan. He was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the statutory authority in Roscommon, which was established in 1997. Mr. Scollan said the Commission, which covers counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare, represents an unique departure by Government in terms of regional development, and it was now finalising a costed, prioritised economic and social programme which it intends to have agreed with Government by the end of this year. He said: "It is high time that we shed the rhetoric of decline, and embrace an era of Western growth and Western opportunities. "Such growth will provide opportunities for young people who should have the option of living here; opportunities for families to prosper and settle in rural areas, and opportunities for emigrants and others who want to come and work in one of the finest environments in Europe." Mr. Scollan said the Commission will spearhead positive action for development. "By the end of March", he said, "we will have put a price tag on the priority developments we need supported under the next round of Structural Funds. "And by the end of the year we will have created a sea-change in ten areas of national policy affecting the West, ranging from foreign investment, housing, food industry, telecommunications and rural tourism." Mr. Scollan continued: "Most important of all, we will aim to bring a new confidence to the West, not only to the people living here, but also to investors in Ireland and overseas who will want to exploit the new investment opportunities in the region." Commission chairperson, Mr. Sean Tighe said the very establishment of the Commission confirms the total acceptance by the Government, and its predecessor, that the West of Ireland does suffer significant under-development and that extraordinary measures are required to ensure that effective action is taken to enable this region to realist its full economic and social potential, and to catch-up with the better-off regions of the country. He said: "I believe we must see a greater focus on job creation in this region on the part of both IDA-Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to help ensure both rational and equitable regional development across the entire country instead of the over-concentration of industrial development in the Dublin region." Æ The Mayo members of the Commission are Mr. Sean Hannick, Killala and Sr. Maureen Lally, Castlebar. |
