REGIONAL IRELAND & THE BORDER,MIDLANDS & WEST REGION
Each speech listed here is an edited speech. If you'd like to see the speech or debate in full, please go to the Oireachtas website and click on "Seanad Eireann" and then "Seanad Debates" and click on the relevant date as listed with each speech on this page.
Regional Ireland (04/10/07)
National Development Plan (30/05/06)
Corrib Gas Field (06/10/05)
Development of BMW Region (16/02/05)
Regional Ireland
04/10/07 - We need to discuss the entire west of Ireland, from Malin to Schull. What always happens here is that people are focused on their own constituencies, and we lose the big picture. It is hard to believe but for years it was difficult to get co-ordinated support for the western rail corridor. People conveniently forget this but it is the truth. People did not see the value of the rail corridor because they were not looking at the whole issue. As an Independent who will never stand for the Dáil, with no vested interests, I have a serious concern that the voice of the west will be lost when constituency reviews take TDs from the west and move them to the east, chasing the population. Logically, that is what will happen.
The only way to deal with this is to look at it from a different point of view. I will be shot on sight by the media for saying this but even if it means increasing the number of TDs, we must ensure the voice of the regions of the west is fully articulated and heard. This is happening all along the west coast. From a disinterested point of view — it makes no difference to me personally or to anyone in this House from any party — I think this is wrong and we need to consider and focus on this issue.
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National Development Plan
30/05/06 -I appreciate and support the improvements the Minister outlined for the Dublin-Westport, Dublin-Ballina, Dublin-Galway and Dublin-Sligo lines. These are much needed crucial developments. I would like a clear commitment in the next national development plan to a rail schedule that will ensure a train every hour from Dublin to Sligo, Mayo and Galway.
At a recent briefing of Members with various rural groups involved in housing and related matters there was talk about the difficulty of developing rural areas. We must ask ourselves what rural Ireland needs, what is important to it and how we can make it live. It is important that people who want to live all their lives in the area are able to do so. If we had a train every hour from Dublin to the areas in the west I mentioned, a person could attend third level education in Dublin, commute and still live in the west if necessary. This sort of commute happens in most other countries. Commuting time would only take two and a half hours or less, depending on the type of train. If people live in the west during their college years, they are more likely to stay there after they have graduated. It is a hugely important issue.
I welcome the commitment by the Minister for Finance to research and development in education, for example in the institutes of technology and colleges. We need to harness what is available to us. We have invested a great deal in the intellectual ability of the people of the west, many of whom would like to further develop their intellectual capacity. They are unable to do so because they are too far from the main colleges to study for master’s degrees, etc.
Incredibly bright people throughout the west are running their homes, rearing their families and doing jobs somewhere. Many of them would like to exercise their mental functions to a greater extent. They could do so if there was more access to on-line and distance education. It is a very simple thing to do. There is a huge possibility of harnessing the intellectual energy and ability of people throughout the BMW region in that way.
I was pleased by the Minister’s commitment in the budget, which he restated today, to develop the areas of research and development, information technology and the universities in the BMW region. It is magic. It is an example of the kind of synergies and energies to which we need to give direction. It was the most important thing in the Minister’s speech today.
I would like to link the issue of broadband with the future of our airports. I do not want to discuss privatisation and State ownership, etc. When services go wrong, those who are furthest from the general centre of services are the first to lose out. The further one is from Dublin, the more one suffers if services go backwards. I worry that we have gone back to the future with Eircom.
I mention that because airports are so important. There are airports in the BMW region in Sligo, Knock and Galway. Galway and Sligo airports need to be developed and Knock Airport needs investment. I do not want them to be privatised or taken out of State hands, not for reasons relating to a philosophy or any kind of “ism” but because if we do so, like we did when we gave Eircom, through four owners, to Babcock & Brown, we will send our airline system back to the days of Alcock and Brown. We should not sell that system or move towards selling it without having a clear understanding of where we are going. I firmly believe that the infrastructure of our air services is of more crucial importance to the west of Ireland than it is to anywhere else.
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Corrib Gas Field
06/10/05 - My greatest concern is the safety issue and the fact that the people of Mayo are getting nothing out of the gas find. The people of Belmullet, the town closest to the gas find, and also the other towns mentioned, should get access to the gas and get the value of it. Even if the safety audit finds the gas pipeline to be safe, it should be moved further away from houses. The gas could be brought in along by the river bed. It does not need to come to shore at the point chosen. It could come along the bed of the river which flows into the sea there, or could go further down the bay, away from the houses. That is crucial. It is also crucial that the gas be taken into Ireland. We need it for security of supply among other things.
We should not forget too that there are currently 350 people unemployed in north Mayo because of work on the pipeline being stopped. I am not saying this has anything to do with the safety issue, which is separate. Nothing will ever be 100% safe. As soon as we satisfy ourselves that it is as safe as can be, we should then move the pipeline away from the houses. We should also ensure that Shell complies with the law.
I have never trusted Shell, particularly given what Senator Kitt has said and how Shell operated in Nigeria for years. I have spoken many times about Shell over the years. I do not believe Shell most of the time and, in many ways, the company has bullied the local people. At the same time, however, the local people should recognise what they are up against. They should be clear about their objectives and accept that mediation will only work if both sides agree to move their positions slightly. The issue that unites everybody is safety. Let us get the safety issue dealt with, after which the question of moving the pipeline and other matters can be tackled and the gas can be taken safely onshore.
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Development of the BMW Region
16/02/05 - The issues in the BMW region relate to the people, the environment and the infrastructure. The infrastructure allows people to engage with the environment. There are significant problems in terms of lack of investment in that area. In welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O’Keeffe, to the House, I would ask him to consider this aspect.
Senator Feeney gave a good example of the difficulty for her children travelling from Sligo to college in Galway. I have heard that example given on several occasions. All the infrastructure in the BMW region is heading eastwards, not north-south, which is a fundamental issue in terms of infrastructure.
If we start at the Atlantic, how many significant fishing ports are on the west coast? If one travels from Castletownbere to Dingle, the next port is Killybegs. There is nothing of significance in Mayo or Sligo. It is an indication that the whole tourism aspect of angling has not been developed along that coast.
In terms of access, there is now a programme to invest in a number of marinas in that area, and not before time. Some committees have been asking whether they are good value for money. They are absolutely essential to opening up that whole area. There is also a proposal to build something similar [to a marina] in the Belmullet area, Sligo and north Donegal. This is what needs to be happening.
What is being done about our rail infrastructure? There should be a train every hour from Dublin to Sligo, Dublin to Ballina, Dublin to Westport, Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Ennis and Dublin to Limerick. That is the only way we will open up our rail infrastructure. In terms of the north-south area, that rail link must be established, and not just from the western rail corridor. There is not just a problem with the western rail corridor, there should be a rail link from Sligo to Limerick Junction or wherever and across to Rosslare on the existing line. This should be a viable upgraded line. This would open up a whole area of the country which has been ignored by the tourism industry. This cannot be opposed.
It all boils down to the quality of the water in our rivers, lakes, water supply and sewerage system. I agree with Senator Mansergh that sewerage systems are now developing right along the Shannon. There has been a significant improvement in all the towns in the west because of the establishment of water treatment and sewerage plants of various descriptions. A query was raised here recently as to where the plan is and how far it will go. There should be a national development plan after 2006, which should be directed at areas of the country that need a leg-up, so to speak. According to the latest reports from the NRA, the infrastructural plans in terms of roads should be up and running by 2010.
……there are great difficulties with planning in the whole BMW region. If we take all the opposing or conflicting arguments, what is happening at the moment is not acceptable. Objections to granting planning permission every time someone wants to build a house in the area where they were born and reared must be considered in a measured, informed and focused way. I am opposed to people being allowed to build in an area just because they live there. However, I am equally opposed to the blanket opposition to building that takes place time and time again. An Taisce has been responsible for much of this over a long time. Hamlet development should be encouraged, particularly where there are existing houses. Someone who lives and works in an area should be given more consideration than someone who is building a holiday home.
While I agree that tax breaks should be examined, I would be opposed to the elimination of all of them. However, they should be examined because it was never intended that the super rich should pay no tax.
The Senator referred to Sligo and Leitrim. However, what is being done to Leitrim village is not acceptable. A village that had 30 houses some years ago will now have 400 houses, with no appropriate infrastructure. Many of these will be ghost houses which are not lived in. We need to draw a distinction when planning permission is being granted in these areas so they are not overrun.
To return to the commuter issue, we must examine how we can serve Limerick and Galway. We hear every morning on the radio that the Oranmore roundabout and the Tuam Road are completely blocked. Senator Kitt said in this House some months ago that a commuter service from Tuam to Galway could be up and running in six months, whereas to build a road would take six years. In terms of infrastructural gain, this is what we should be considering.
The week before Christmas 2003, a commuter service was opened between Ennis and Limerick. Its use has now quadrupled, even without building all the intervening stations such as Bunratty, Sixmilebridge and so on, which must also be considered. It indicates that there is a demand for this service, and there would also be a demand in the other direction. If Ennis-Limerick is viable, there is no reason Ennis-Galway would not be viable. If Ennis-Galway is viable, why is Galway-Limerick not viable? There is no doubt that a rail service into Galway would be a winner. Last month Iarnród Éireann began a new morning commuter service from Athlone to Galway. I have not examined the figures, but I intend doing so in the next week or so. I have no doubt that the train will be filled and used frequently. We cannot allow a situation to continue whereby the last train out of places like Sligo, Ballina and Castlebar, and back to Galway, is at 6 p.m. Even from Cork, the last train leaves at approximately 6.30 p.m. or 7 p.m. That is disgraceful. It is a waste of a resource for trains to be parked in stations overnight and not to be used. We should invest in our rail network.
……When building every new road why can space not be provided for a railway to run alongside, as is provided in half of the world? That is the type of development we need here. Given the cost of parking, motorists realise it is not worth the effort to drive into Dublin. These are issues that need to be examined.
In terms of support for investment in infrastructure — I acknowledge I did not deal with the road network — we should recognise all the smart advice from people on the east coast in regard to airports in the west, particularly in Galway and Knock, was that neither of them was viable. There was opposition to the provision of an airport at Knock from the two main political parties……
I used that example not to make a party political point but to make a different point. Every time I discuss infrastructure in the west with the experts, they tend to be based in Dublin and to come to a longitudinal conclusion on the matter. They point out the number of people who use the railways and say that if we were to invest many millions of euro in them and divide that amount by the number of people who use them, the investment would not be viable. They never talk in terms of the demand for the service. I am aware that Senator Mansergh shares many of my views on this. We must create demand for the service. Such development of the rail service would work and we need to move forward on that.
I have spoken on a number of occasions about the negative consequences of selling Eircom. It is not so much that many subscribers lost money on their investment in shares as the opportunity lost to extend the rollout of broadband to every corner of the country. That needs to be done and the necessary resources must be invested.
I was in the Galway Gaeltacht recently and noted that three companies were engaged in interpreting the written word, the spoken word and video work. They were able to do their business from the Lár-Ghaeltacht in Connemara because they had a broadband facility to transmit information down the line. They did not need to be based in a city. Ten years ago that type of industry would have had to be based in the centre of Dublin as that would have been the only place such companies would have had the necessary back-up. Those companies are a classic example of how broadband can open up the west and the extension of such facilities is crucial to achieving that objective.
Every time the issue of the west is raised, people take a broad view but unfortunately debate usually centres on constituency matters. The west needs to be considered by people who think beyond the basis of their constituencies and who will envisage a plan for its development. We have people who are open to change and are adventurous, entrepreneurial and considerate. They can ensure the growth of the economy of the west, not merely a continuity of its protection, that will match that of any in the rest of Ireland.
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Seanad debates are available in full on the Oireachtas Website
Each speech listed here is an edited speech. If you'd like to see the speech or debate in full, please go to the Oireachtas website and click on "Seanad Eireann" and then "Seanad Debates" and click on the relevant date as listed with each speech on this page.
Regional Ireland (04/10/07)
National Development Plan (30/05/06)
Corrib Gas Field (06/10/05)
Development of BMW Region (16/02/05)
Regional Ireland
04/10/07 - We need to discuss the entire west of Ireland, from Malin to Schull. What always happens here is that people are focused on their own constituencies, and we lose the big picture. It is hard to believe but for years it was difficult to get co-ordinated support for the western rail corridor. People conveniently forget this but it is the truth. People did not see the value of the rail corridor because they were not looking at the whole issue. As an Independent who will never stand for the Dáil, with no vested interests, I have a serious concern that the voice of the west will be lost when constituency reviews take TDs from the west and move them to the east, chasing the population. Logically, that is what will happen.
The only way to deal with this is to look at it from a different point of view. I will be shot on sight by the media for saying this but even if it means increasing the number of TDs, we must ensure the voice of the regions of the west is fully articulated and heard. This is happening all along the west coast. From a disinterested point of view — it makes no difference to me personally or to anyone in this House from any party — I think this is wrong and we need to consider and focus on this issue.
Back to top of the page
National Development Plan
30/05/06 -I appreciate and support the improvements the Minister outlined for the Dublin-Westport, Dublin-Ballina, Dublin-Galway and Dublin-Sligo lines. These are much needed crucial developments. I would like a clear commitment in the next national development plan to a rail schedule that will ensure a train every hour from Dublin to Sligo, Mayo and Galway.
At a recent briefing of Members with various rural groups involved in housing and related matters there was talk about the difficulty of developing rural areas. We must ask ourselves what rural Ireland needs, what is important to it and how we can make it live. It is important that people who want to live all their lives in the area are able to do so. If we had a train every hour from Dublin to the areas in the west I mentioned, a person could attend third level education in Dublin, commute and still live in the west if necessary. This sort of commute happens in most other countries. Commuting time would only take two and a half hours or less, depending on the type of train. If people live in the west during their college years, they are more likely to stay there after they have graduated. It is a hugely important issue.
I welcome the commitment by the Minister for Finance to research and development in education, for example in the institutes of technology and colleges. We need to harness what is available to us. We have invested a great deal in the intellectual ability of the people of the west, many of whom would like to further develop their intellectual capacity. They are unable to do so because they are too far from the main colleges to study for master’s degrees, etc.
Incredibly bright people throughout the west are running their homes, rearing their families and doing jobs somewhere. Many of them would like to exercise their mental functions to a greater extent. They could do so if there was more access to on-line and distance education. It is a very simple thing to do. There is a huge possibility of harnessing the intellectual energy and ability of people throughout the BMW region in that way.
I was pleased by the Minister’s commitment in the budget, which he restated today, to develop the areas of research and development, information technology and the universities in the BMW region. It is magic. It is an example of the kind of synergies and energies to which we need to give direction. It was the most important thing in the Minister’s speech today.
I would like to link the issue of broadband with the future of our airports. I do not want to discuss privatisation and State ownership, etc. When services go wrong, those who are furthest from the general centre of services are the first to lose out. The further one is from Dublin, the more one suffers if services go backwards. I worry that we have gone back to the future with Eircom.
I mention that because airports are so important. There are airports in the BMW region in Sligo, Knock and Galway. Galway and Sligo airports need to be developed and Knock Airport needs investment. I do not want them to be privatised or taken out of State hands, not for reasons relating to a philosophy or any kind of “ism” but because if we do so, like we did when we gave Eircom, through four owners, to Babcock & Brown, we will send our airline system back to the days of Alcock and Brown. We should not sell that system or move towards selling it without having a clear understanding of where we are going. I firmly believe that the infrastructure of our air services is of more crucial importance to the west of Ireland than it is to anywhere else.
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Corrib Gas Field
06/10/05 - My greatest concern is the safety issue and the fact that the people of Mayo are getting nothing out of the gas find. The people of Belmullet, the town closest to the gas find, and also the other towns mentioned, should get access to the gas and get the value of it. Even if the safety audit finds the gas pipeline to be safe, it should be moved further away from houses. The gas could be brought in along by the river bed. It does not need to come to shore at the point chosen. It could come along the bed of the river which flows into the sea there, or could go further down the bay, away from the houses. That is crucial. It is also crucial that the gas be taken into Ireland. We need it for security of supply among other things.
We should not forget too that there are currently 350 people unemployed in north Mayo because of work on the pipeline being stopped. I am not saying this has anything to do with the safety issue, which is separate. Nothing will ever be 100% safe. As soon as we satisfy ourselves that it is as safe as can be, we should then move the pipeline away from the houses. We should also ensure that Shell complies with the law.
I have never trusted Shell, particularly given what Senator Kitt has said and how Shell operated in Nigeria for years. I have spoken many times about Shell over the years. I do not believe Shell most of the time and, in many ways, the company has bullied the local people. At the same time, however, the local people should recognise what they are up against. They should be clear about their objectives and accept that mediation will only work if both sides agree to move their positions slightly. The issue that unites everybody is safety. Let us get the safety issue dealt with, after which the question of moving the pipeline and other matters can be tackled and the gas can be taken safely onshore.
Back to top of the page
Development of the BMW Region
16/02/05 - The issues in the BMW region relate to the people, the environment and the infrastructure. The infrastructure allows people to engage with the environment. There are significant problems in terms of lack of investment in that area. In welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O’Keeffe, to the House, I would ask him to consider this aspect.
Senator Feeney gave a good example of the difficulty for her children travelling from Sligo to college in Galway. I have heard that example given on several occasions. All the infrastructure in the BMW region is heading eastwards, not north-south, which is a fundamental issue in terms of infrastructure.
If we start at the Atlantic, how many significant fishing ports are on the west coast? If one travels from Castletownbere to Dingle, the next port is Killybegs. There is nothing of significance in Mayo or Sligo. It is an indication that the whole tourism aspect of angling has not been developed along that coast.
In terms of access, there is now a programme to invest in a number of marinas in that area, and not before time. Some committees have been asking whether they are good value for money. They are absolutely essential to opening up that whole area. There is also a proposal to build something similar [to a marina] in the Belmullet area, Sligo and north Donegal. This is what needs to be happening.
What is being done about our rail infrastructure? There should be a train every hour from Dublin to Sligo, Dublin to Ballina, Dublin to Westport, Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Ennis and Dublin to Limerick. That is the only way we will open up our rail infrastructure. In terms of the north-south area, that rail link must be established, and not just from the western rail corridor. There is not just a problem with the western rail corridor, there should be a rail link from Sligo to Limerick Junction or wherever and across to Rosslare on the existing line. This should be a viable upgraded line. This would open up a whole area of the country which has been ignored by the tourism industry. This cannot be opposed.
It all boils down to the quality of the water in our rivers, lakes, water supply and sewerage system. I agree with Senator Mansergh that sewerage systems are now developing right along the Shannon. There has been a significant improvement in all the towns in the west because of the establishment of water treatment and sewerage plants of various descriptions. A query was raised here recently as to where the plan is and how far it will go. There should be a national development plan after 2006, which should be directed at areas of the country that need a leg-up, so to speak. According to the latest reports from the NRA, the infrastructural plans in terms of roads should be up and running by 2010.
……there are great difficulties with planning in the whole BMW region. If we take all the opposing or conflicting arguments, what is happening at the moment is not acceptable. Objections to granting planning permission every time someone wants to build a house in the area where they were born and reared must be considered in a measured, informed and focused way. I am opposed to people being allowed to build in an area just because they live there. However, I am equally opposed to the blanket opposition to building that takes place time and time again. An Taisce has been responsible for much of this over a long time. Hamlet development should be encouraged, particularly where there are existing houses. Someone who lives and works in an area should be given more consideration than someone who is building a holiday home.
While I agree that tax breaks should be examined, I would be opposed to the elimination of all of them. However, they should be examined because it was never intended that the super rich should pay no tax.
The Senator referred to Sligo and Leitrim. However, what is being done to Leitrim village is not acceptable. A village that had 30 houses some years ago will now have 400 houses, with no appropriate infrastructure. Many of these will be ghost houses which are not lived in. We need to draw a distinction when planning permission is being granted in these areas so they are not overrun.
To return to the commuter issue, we must examine how we can serve Limerick and Galway. We hear every morning on the radio that the Oranmore roundabout and the Tuam Road are completely blocked. Senator Kitt said in this House some months ago that a commuter service from Tuam to Galway could be up and running in six months, whereas to build a road would take six years. In terms of infrastructural gain, this is what we should be considering.
The week before Christmas 2003, a commuter service was opened between Ennis and Limerick. Its use has now quadrupled, even without building all the intervening stations such as Bunratty, Sixmilebridge and so on, which must also be considered. It indicates that there is a demand for this service, and there would also be a demand in the other direction. If Ennis-Limerick is viable, there is no reason Ennis-Galway would not be viable. If Ennis-Galway is viable, why is Galway-Limerick not viable? There is no doubt that a rail service into Galway would be a winner. Last month Iarnród Éireann began a new morning commuter service from Athlone to Galway. I have not examined the figures, but I intend doing so in the next week or so. I have no doubt that the train will be filled and used frequently. We cannot allow a situation to continue whereby the last train out of places like Sligo, Ballina and Castlebar, and back to Galway, is at 6 p.m. Even from Cork, the last train leaves at approximately 6.30 p.m. or 7 p.m. That is disgraceful. It is a waste of a resource for trains to be parked in stations overnight and not to be used. We should invest in our rail network.
……When building every new road why can space not be provided for a railway to run alongside, as is provided in half of the world? That is the type of development we need here. Given the cost of parking, motorists realise it is not worth the effort to drive into Dublin. These are issues that need to be examined.
In terms of support for investment in infrastructure — I acknowledge I did not deal with the road network — we should recognise all the smart advice from people on the east coast in regard to airports in the west, particularly in Galway and Knock, was that neither of them was viable. There was opposition to the provision of an airport at Knock from the two main political parties……
I used that example not to make a party political point but to make a different point. Every time I discuss infrastructure in the west with the experts, they tend to be based in Dublin and to come to a longitudinal conclusion on the matter. They point out the number of people who use the railways and say that if we were to invest many millions of euro in them and divide that amount by the number of people who use them, the investment would not be viable. They never talk in terms of the demand for the service. I am aware that Senator Mansergh shares many of my views on this. We must create demand for the service. Such development of the rail service would work and we need to move forward on that.
I have spoken on a number of occasions about the negative consequences of selling Eircom. It is not so much that many subscribers lost money on their investment in shares as the opportunity lost to extend the rollout of broadband to every corner of the country. That needs to be done and the necessary resources must be invested.
I was in the Galway Gaeltacht recently and noted that three companies were engaged in interpreting the written word, the spoken word and video work. They were able to do their business from the Lár-Ghaeltacht in Connemara because they had a broadband facility to transmit information down the line. They did not need to be based in a city. Ten years ago that type of industry would have had to be based in the centre of Dublin as that would have been the only place such companies would have had the necessary back-up. Those companies are a classic example of how broadband can open up the west and the extension of such facilities is crucial to achieving that objective.
Every time the issue of the west is raised, people take a broad view but unfortunately debate usually centres on constituency matters. The west needs to be considered by people who think beyond the basis of their constituencies and who will envisage a plan for its development. We have people who are open to change and are adventurous, entrepreneurial and considerate. They can ensure the growth of the economy of the west, not merely a continuity of its protection, that will match that of any in the rest of Ireland.
Back to top of the page
Seanad debates are available in full on the Oireachtas Website