There was a time when decentralisation of government departments from the capital Dublin to various cities and major towns throughout the country was put forward as a sensible plan, one that would benefit the economic growth of those centres and the regions surrounding them.

It was advanced as early as 1980 in a book The Longford Parliament Proposal written by a forward seeing thinker, the late Lorcán ÓhUiginn, and published by Esperanto Services, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to being a lifelong proponent of Esperanto as a world-wide second language, ÓhUiginn was a serious student of Irish history. He had extensive knowledge of the divergent paths taken by the two Irish Parliaments, in Belfast and Dublin, since the artificial partitioning of the country in 1921.

He looked forward to the day of reunification, and as an aid to welcoming representatives of the Six Counties into an All Ireland Parliament suggested that they might find it more agreeable if that Parliament was sited neither in Dublin nor Belfast but in a new location, namely, Longford.

In addition he proposed the decentralisation of government departments throughout the Thirty-two Counties. As examples he suggested locating a Department of Communications in Offaly, the Department of Industry in Antrim, the Department of Defence in Westmeath, the Department of Education in County Derry, the Department of Finance in County Galway, the Department of Foreign Affairs in County Cork, and the Department of Health on County Dublin.

It seemed an impossible dream twenty-three years ago. Since then something called a National Spatial Strategy has been formulated, with the aim of promoting certain key regional centres for future growth.

Now, however, the Twenty-six County government has embarked on a decentralisation of government departments in a most irrational manner. In its budget of December 2003 it targeted eight departments for decentralisation, and a myriad of state and semi-state bodies.

And their allocation is to a large extent governed by political party considerations, a little dribble here, a little dribble there, without regard to administrative efficiency and economy.

Fifty-three towns in all are earmarked to benefit from the expulsion of civil servants from Dublin. The following list has all the appearance of a political dog's breakfast.

Agriculture & Food: Department HQ to Portlaoise 400 Cork City staff to Macroom 70. Bord Bia to Enniscorthy 75. Bord Glas to Enniscorthy 10. Teagasc to Carlow 100.

Arts, Sport & Tourism: Department HQ to Killarney 140. Arts Council to Kilkenny 45. Failte Ireland to Mallow 200. Sports Council to Killarney 25.

Communications & Marine: Department HQ to Cavan 425. BIM to Clonakilty, 150. Central Fisheries Board to Carrick-on-Shannon 40.

Gaeltacht, Rural Affairs: Department HQ to Knock Airport 140. Department Staff to Furbo 10. ADM to Clifden 40. Foras na Gaeilge Gweedore 30.

Defence Department: HQ to Newbridge 200. Defence Forces HQ to Curragh 300.

Education & Science: Department HQ to Mullingar 300. Department staff to Athlone 100. Higher Education Authority Athlone. National Educational Welfare Board & NCCA to Portarlington 70. NQAI/HETAC/FETAC Edenderry 75.

Enterprise, Trade & Employment: Department Staff to Carlow 250. Enterprise Ireland to Shannon 300. FAS to Birr 250. HSA Thomastown 110. NSAI to Arklow 140.

Environment: Department HQ to Wexford 270. Department Staff New Ross 130. Department Staff Waterford 200. Department Staff Kilkenny 60. NBA Wexford 55. LGCSB To be decided 90.

Finance: Department Staff to Tullamore 130. Department IT To be decided 20. Revenue Staff to Athy 250. Revenue Staff Kilrush 50. Revenue Staff Listowel 50. Revenue Staff Newcastle West 50. Revenue IT To be decided 500. OPW HQ to Trim 275. OPW staff to Kanturk 100. OPW staff to Claremorris 150. .

Civil Service Commission Staff to Youghal 100.

OSI to Dungarvan 300.

Valuation Office to Youghal 100

Foreign Affairs: Development Co-operation Ireland to Limerick 130.

Health & Children: Various To be decided 500.

Justice, Equality & Law Reform: Department staff to Tipperary 200. Data Protection Commissioner to Portarlington 20. Equality Authority & Director of Equality Investigations to Roscrea 80.

Garda HQ (incl. civilians) to Thurles 200. Garda Complaints Board to Portarlington 20.

Land Registry to Roscommon 230.

Prison Service HQ to Longford 130. Probation & Welfare Service to Navan 100

Social & Family Affairs: Department HQ to Drogheda 300. Department staff to Buncrana 120. Department staff to Donegal 230. Department staff to Carrick-on-Shannon 225. Department staff to Sligo 100. Department IT to be decided 225. Combat Poverty Agency to Monaghan 25. Comhairle to Carrickmacross 85.

Transport: Road Haulage to Loughrea 40. Bus Eireann to Mitchelstown 200. Aviation Authority to Shannon 100. NRA to Ballinasloe 90. National Safety Council to Loughrea 10. Railway Safety Commission to Ballinasloe 20.

A total of 10,300 civil servants are scheduled for relocation, and this at their own expense, no compensation or moving costs allowed.

Other than party political considerations the above mismash has neither rhyme nor reason. The greater proportion of job transfers goes to areas of ministerial influence.

As one example, County Donegal, which suffers a 16.5% unemployment rate, is scheduled to receive only 3% of the transfers.

This is not the type of decentralisation envisaged by the aforementioned ÓhUiginn, and contributes nothing to the promotion of his proposal of one parliament for one country, north, south, east, and west. It does nothing to indicate any vision of a unified Ireland.

The prospect of a Thirty-two County Parliament being located in Longford may remain illusory for now. It will need persons with a keener sense of what can be done to foster a change in official and political mindset that Ireland is, and always will be, a country of two minor Parliaments, one a glorified county council and the other a mecca of place seekers and developers with no thought for the country as a whole.

--30--