Mayo is missing out on significant investment in infrastructure due to an inherent government failure to seriously address regional imbalance and inequity.
The point has been strongly made by Erris-based Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh who is challenging the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the matter after learning the western region has been allocated less funding this year under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
This is in spite of the fact that the purpose of the fund is to address economic and social deficiencies in a region classified by the European Commission as ‘lagging’ and in need of greater levels of funding than other parts of Ireland.
Deputy Conway-Walsh said the problem with decision-makers within the department is that the selection of investment projects is still drived by population rather than need.
As a result, Mayo is still left waiting for investment in the strategic development zone (SDZ) at Ireland West Airport while the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor continues to be delayed.
The department’s attitude is holding up long-awaited flood relief schemes in Ballina, Crossmolina and Westport, a situation that is inhibiting growth in those towns, while the construction of a new roadway between Castlebar and Belmullet, replacing the existing R312, remains as far away as ever.
A window of opportunity also exists to further develop the county’s renewable energy sector, but the opportunity is being forfeited.
She elaborated: “Ireland was allocated €396 million in EU funding for the ERDF programme.
“When the national co-financing is included, it allows spending and investment of more than €850 million across the State.
“The west and north region is classified as disadvantaged compared with the southern, eastern and midlands regions.
“In respect of the allocation of €396 million, a total of €110 million came west while the southern, the eastern and midland regions, deemed more developed regions, were allocated €285 million.
“The fund is supposed to address those regional inequalities. But instead of the government seeing this as an opportunity, this region has received less than half of the Exchequer funding allocated to the other regions.
“The problem is that it is being driven by population, which really is not going to address what we need to address.”
While the Minister for State of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Patrick O’Donovan, is insisting that the allocations, were made in line with EU guidelines, Deputy Conway-Walsh said the department’s approach is contributing to widening the gap between the west, which has seen its GDP per head of population fall by an estimated 71% in recent years.
“The European Commission has warned that regional disparities in Ireland were among the highest in the EU. It warned that, if left unchecked, the trend of growing inequalities between regions would have a damaging impact on the economic and social well-being of all of the regions of Ireland.
“Sadly, this is not something that those of us living in the west do not already know. We have had these multiple warnings and I think we need to examine further how we will address this gap,” she added.