There are some welcome indications from within the Government that parish-pump politics may not be allowed to dominate decision-making in the most extensive decentralisation programme to be undertaken within this State. The Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, is understood to be particularly anxious to ensure that the transfer of an estimated 10,000 civil and public servants from Dublin to a variety of provincial towns and cities should happen in a fair, structured and strategic way. And the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is said to be prepared to concentrate on good, long-term planning rather than on the short-term electoral needs of some of his colleagues.
Final decisions on the decentralisation programme will not be taken until the end of this year. But changes have already taken place in the mechanisms being used by the Government in dealing with the matter. The smash-and-grab thinking that infused Fianna Fail circles in the aftermath of Mr McCreevy's announcement in last December's Budget has not gone away, but it is being cautiously resisted. Unfortunately, the Minister initially encouraged such parochialism by seeking submissions from his Government and party colleagues on locations suitable for devolved departments and agencies. Given the earlier blatant behaviour by four Ministers in transferring sections of their Departments to their own constituencies, it was inevitable that a deluge of politically-motivated submissions would follow.
Details of those submissions were revealed in this newspaper last weekend by our political correspondent. And they made sorry reading. The belief that State bodies and organisations should be relocated for vote-catching purposes was widespread. Political considerations took precedence over the need for a coherent social and strategic plan. This Fianna Fail attitude led a Progressive Democrats councillor to publicly condemn their "gombeen" approach and to declare that this "narrow-minded approach" gave politics a bad name.
Many public servants would be delighted to realise the value of their Dublin homes and locate from a traffic-bound city to a less stressful environment. And the benefits which public-sector jobs would bring to regional centres could be measured in rising property values, higher retail sales and general prosperity. It could be a win-win situation, provided it is properly handled.
As public concern over the possible abuse of the decentralisation process grew, a Cabinet sub-committee composed of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, Ms Harney and Mr McCreevy was established to oversee Government plans. More recently, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, was included in those deliberations because of the work being done within his Department on a spatial strategy - identifying key growth towns and cities - under the National Development Plan. And an evaluation of the various submissions received by Mr McCreevy is at present being prepared by the Department of Finance. These developments offer the prospect of a rational and coherent decentralisation policy. But there is no certainty such second thoughts will prevail. With a general election on the horizon, a majority of Fianna Fail Ministers and backbenchers are expected to press for tangible benefits to their constituencies in the shape of civil and public servants. Such parish pump politics must be rejected.