This article is from page 12 of the 2008-06-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE GOVERNMENT should do more to drive home the advantages of life outside the big smoke. That was the call from the Mayor of Shan- non after it was revealed that only 60 of some 402 public servants due to decentralise to Shannon had made the move.
Despite having been provided with state-of-the art new offices in West- park, just 60 En- terprise Ireland staff have de- camped the capi- tal for Shannon.
yaUie mmm letomme)ueyeet ised exodus of the Irish Avia- tion Authority to Shannon, a move which was seen as one that would lend support to the status of the airport, hasn’t happened at all.
Not one member of staff has made the move.
DIMOrO MU ENE or of Shannon, Cllr Sean McLaugh- lin said that the Government had not delivered on what it promised would be “the be all and end all”.
“It’s understandable that a lot of people won’t want to move because they have children in secondary school or partners working in Dublin but I can’t believe there aren’t more than 60 people who would be will- ing to come to Shannon if they fully understood the advantages.”
Cllr McLaughlin said that the Government needed to promote the work-life advantages of living and
working outside Dublin.
“Shannon is a beautiful place. The Enterprise Ireland offices have the most amazing facilities – a fabulous view over the river, a restaurant and a gym. And people who are now com- muting from as far out as Kildare and spending three hours a day in the car could be from their house to the office in a fraction of that time with no jams.”
The region was promised 300 En-
terprise Ireland staff and 102 Irish Aviation Authority staff.
The Irish Avia- tion Authority has said that it does not expect to see the full quota of jobs de- camp to Shannon for another three years.
The one Clare success story for decentralisation was in KlIlrush, Where the move of 57 revenue employees was
completed last year.
Mayor of Clare Patricia McCarthy (Ind) described the lack of progress in Shannon as “extremely disap- joreypalansteaae
“Decentralisation has had some success but this isn’t one. It’s hard to understand, given that the same work at the same level is involved. And it’s also hard to understand why the IAA not decentralised as it was supposed to.”