Investment in health, transport and education in the northern and western region has been lower than other regions of the country, according to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA).
Its chief economist John Daly examined spending in key areas between 2008 and 2018 in counties Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Donegal, Monaghan, Mayo and Cavan.
He found that investment in health infrastructure in the region, per head of population, was below the State average in eight out of 11 years.
Spending on roads was almost €29,000, per kilometre of national roads, below the national average.
Investment in third-level education infrastructure was €141 per undergraduate in the region, significantly lower than the national average of €197.
Performance
As a result of the region’s declining economic performance, the European Commission recently downgraded it from a “more developed region” to a “transition region”.
NWRA chair Declan McDonnell called for “positive discrimination”, in the form of additional government investment, for the region.
“Although the national economy is growing, this region’s relative growth has not kept pace, creating a two-speed economy,” said McDonnell.
“With the general election campaign ongoing, now is the time to address the future of rural Ireland as we know it.”
The business data in the report included agricultural processing businesses such as dairy and meat processors but not farm incomes.
Recommendations
Among the NWRA’s recommendations are:
Incentives to develop the region’s key towns and growth centres. Support for higher education institutes. Delivery of the National Broadband Plan, support for industrial clusters and encouraging remote working.Support for small and medium enterprises in small towns and villages.Highlight how cost-effective the region is compared to others. Support for airport and transport infrastructure and services for lower commuting times. NWRA director David Minton warned that unless the regional gap was addressed, we would continue to see population shifts towards Dublin, which was not sustainable.
Investment in health, transport and education in the northern and western region has been lower than other regions of the country, according to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA).
Its chief economist John Daly examined spending in key areas between 2008 and 2018 in counties Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Donegal, Monaghan, Mayo and Cavan.
He found that investment in health infrastructure in the region, per head of population, was below the State average in eight out of 11 years.
Spending on roads was almost €29,000, per kilometre of national roads, below the national average.
Investment in third-level education infrastructure was €141 per undergraduate in the region, significantly lower than the national average of €197.
Performance
As a result of the region’s declining economic performance, the European Commission recently downgraded it from a “more developed region” to a “transition region”.
NWRA chair Declan McDonnell called for “positive discrimination”, in the form of additional government investment, for the region.
“Although the national economy is growing, this region’s relative growth has not kept pace, creating a two-speed economy,” said McDonnell.
“With the general election campaign ongoing, now is the time to address the future of rural Ireland as we know it.”
The business data in the report included agricultural processing businesses such as dairy and meat processors but not farm incomes.
Recommendations
Among the NWRA’s recommendations are:
Incentives to develop the region’s key towns and growth centres. Support for higher education institutes. Delivery of the National Broadband Plan, support for industrial clusters and encouraging remote working.Support for small and medium enterprises in small towns and villages.Highlight how cost-effective the region is compared to others. Support for airport and transport infrastructure and services for lower commuting times. NWRA director David Minton warned that unless the regional gap was addressed, we would continue to see population shifts towards Dublin, which was not sustainable.
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