Madam, - Given the current interest in the development of Ireland's regions, the comparison between the growth of Waterford city and that of Galway city since 1960 as partially explored by Dr Garret FitzGerald (January 24th) is welcome and timely.
People in Waterford naturally regard the attainment of university status for WIT as a pre-requisite to full participation in the 21st century economy. And seeing the impact of the development of UL on the mid-west region, who could blame them? Recent Galway developments such as the re-location of the Marine Institute, the development of a full oncological radiotherapy service in UCGH, the Science Foundation Ireland announcement of a new Regenerative Medicine Unit and the development of a new software centre for SAP, all with highly qualified staff and major capital and physical infrastructure, underline the extent to which NUIG has helped Galway develop its own dynamic.
However, just as a cake is not made with one ingredient, I would suggest that the difficulties faced by Waterford and the south-east are broader than simply third-level status. Tim O'Brien, your regional development correspondent, underlined this with his recent piece on regional disposable income (January 16th). He contends that prosperity is clearly linked to infrastructure. The supposedly "wealthy" south-east has a major infrastructure deficit, most seriously in transport connections from Dublin to Waterford. These greatly hamper the ability of the city to fulfil its regional and national function. The recent CSO report, County Incomes and Regional GDP figures, show that counties Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and South Tipperary have disposable incomes (an average 85 per cent of the national figure) below that of Leitrim. The Waterford figure, at 95 per cent of the national average, is still below almost all the National Spatial Strategy Gateway regions.
Figures provided by Mr Frank O'Regan, European vice-president of US company, Bausch and Lomb, who is based in Waterford, (The Irish Times, January 31st, 2003) show that of the €8.2 billion spent on National Development Plan programmes in 2002, Waterford received just €20 million. While regional development is a multi-faceted issue, do these figures validate the widely held feeling in the south-east, that the nub of the Galway v Waterford growth pattern over the past four decades has been the willingness of the State, as necessary and warranted adjuncts to western development, to underpin development in Galway? Is it thus possible that the south-east may now need to be "saved" by similar affirmative action?
Ours is a young, vibrant and dynamic city, centred in a wonderful region. Unless appropriate physical infrastructure is put in place, will potential be choked and the south-east continue to decline economically? - Yours, etc.,
DES GRIFFIN, Sweetbriar Terrace, Lower Newtown, Waterford.