Four counties, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan, have not benefited from the growth of the "Celtic Tiger" and require special Government help in order to develop, according to the latest report from the National Economic and Social Council.
The NESC report found that urbanisation was the key to economic growth in the east. It urged the Government to promote the development of large urban centres in all regions through enterprise policies and infrastructural development.
The absence of such large centres in the four most deprived counties meant that special measures, involving the transfer of resources and the provision of infrastructure, would be required. Similar action was advocated for areas of urban deprivation in Dublin and other major cities.
The report found that Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan suffered not only from poor development and a declining population, but from high old-age dependency ratios. It concluded: "In view of the difficulties experienced in these predominantly rural counties, which have not gained from the expansion of urban zones of influence, special area-based measures covering infrastructure, tourism, devolution and cross-Border co-operation are required.
"In addition to innovative measures at local level, it is necessary to consider other possible ways of supporting these areas, through economic and social policies."
The NESC report was issued on December 19th, the day after the Dail rose for the Christmas holiday, in circumstances which may have been designed to minimise public debate on its contents.
Measures to counteract economic and social deprivation and to create a more equitable society were singularly lacking in the December Budget. But the thrust of the NESC report advocated such an approach through government policies and specific initiatives.
It pointed to a population decline of more than 20 per cent in the four western/Border counties over the past 45 years and contrasted this with the rapid growth in the Dublin region. Even the adjoining counties of Galway and Clare had population growths exceeding 15 per cent.
In conclusion, the report said: "Ireland has developed a competitive advantage in the east and a few other major urban centres, based on human capital, new infrastructure and investment in advanced industries and services. Now, in addition, there are some important possibilities emerging, mainly at the level of other large urban centres in all regions, which can be fostered through enterprise policies, infrastructural development, education and training policies and regulatory measures.
"In terms of a functional hierarchy of towns and settlement, the redefinition of policies along these lines would be cutting with the grain of inevitable patterns of urban-centred growth. These centres would stimulate economic activity in their hinterlands and counteract the diseconomies that arise from extremely polarised settlement patterns."