None of the £316 million in Cohesion Funds committed so far by the Department of Finance has been allocated to the Border Midland West (BMW) region, the former Council of the West chairwoman emphasised yesterday.
"All of the money committed so far has gone to Dublin, Limerick and Cork", said Ms Marian Harkin, who is to run as an In dependent candidate in Sligo-Leitrim at the next general election.
Ireland as a whole will continue to benefit from Cohesion funding until 2003 because the overall GDP is less than 90 per cent of the European average - as a result of the BMW region.
"How can there be any possibility of balanced regional development when Cohesion money is not being used to bring about cohesion in infra structural terms within Ireland?", she asked.
The National Development Plan had promised to deliver balanced regional development, but this would be impossible without the necessary investment in infrastructure, Ms Harkin told the Sligo Chamber of Commerce last night.
There was still approximately £125 million of Cohesion funding available for projects over the next three years. The Government must "immediately confirm" that the remaining funds will be spent in the BMW region, she said.
The aspiring TD for Sligo-Leitrim is also seeking confirmation from the Department of Public Enterprise in relation to the recent declaration by the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, that the benefits of the Corrib gas field off the Mayo coast are to be extended to towns in the north-west.