THE persistent lack of Government interest in the six Border counties seemed to be because, there was no significant volume of votes in the area for the present administration, Mr Patrick McGowan of Fianna Fail declared in the Seanad.
He said that "we in the northwest are fed up with Border studies which have come to nothing." The Government had shied away from providing the matching funds which the EU required in order to provide adequate resources to address the many problems of the area.
The region he was referring to includes Cos Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth and he stressed that it was not included in the national development plan.
The Donegal senator was proposing a Fianna Fail private members motion condemning the Government's "lack of commitment" to the economic development of the Border counties. A Government amendment called on the House to "endorse the Government's approach to the socio economic development of the Border regions".
Mr McGowan cited examples where the counties on the Northern side of the Border did consistently better because of the energy and commitment of politicians like Mr John Hume, the SDLP leader. Among them was an £800,000 advance factory announced for Strabane last week.
He said there was a 19 year history of official neglect of the Border counties and that the Fianna Fail motion last night was no flash in the pan".
The motion was seconded by Mr Paschal Mooney, from Leitrim, who appealed for an incentive tax for industry which he said could make a big difference to the region.
Mr Gerry Reynolds (FG), opposing the motion, said a large amount of money from the International Fund for Ireland had gone into the area, creating over 23,000 jobs. Other funds had come from the Delors package, which played a major role in the economic development of the area.
Mr Bill Cotter (FG) attacked the motion for being "entirely negative". One of the problems was that there were too many funds available but few seemed to be aware of them and the criteria for getting access to them.
There's plenty of money there," he declared.
Ms Ann Gallagher (Lab), opposing the motion, referred to the "beal bocht" attitude implicit in it. However, the Border counties had suffered enormously over the years, she said.
Mr Sam McAughtry (Ind) said he deplored the fact that successive British and Irish governments had not come together over the years to address the economic problems caused by the Border. It was in the interests of people living in the North and the South.
The Minister of State for Rural Renewal, Mr Donal Carey, said the Government recognised that the Border region was a disadvantaged one. It was cut off from its natural hinterland and had suffered greatly because of the violence in the North.
The Government believed that special emphasis should be placed on all economic black spots, including the Border counties. He said he had inherited "this myriad" of programmes and hoped they could be replaced with a one stop shop. He agreed with Mr McAughtry's sentiments.
The Government amendment to the motion was carried by 24 votes to 18.
The House adjourned until 10.30 this morning.