Taxpayers hit by E1.3m bill for plan that created no jobs

Mary Dundon and Fionnán Sheahan

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern launched the blueprint for regional development over two years ago and promised it would spread jobs around the country and tackle congestion in the capital.

Last night opposition parties said the plan was "dead in the water" after it was revealed that E1.335,165 has been paid to over 16 private consultants in the preparation of the NSS and in subsequent public relations work.

The aim of the NSS is to promote nine cities called Gateways as engines for regional development. These are backed up by nine towns called Hubs.

"Not one job has been directly created by the NSS outside Dublin to stop its growing sprawl, so this E1.3m spent on private consultants has been a complete waste of money," Labour's environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore said yesterday.

Fine Gael said the 24 cities and towns picked for the first phase of decentralisation were clearly for political reasons rather than any guiding regional development strategy.

The big flaw is that there is no link between the National Development Plan (NDP) and the NSS, said the party's finance spokesman Richard Bruton.

However, an Environment Department spokesman denied the NSS was a waste of money. "It is disingenuous of the opposition to say this because when this was launched Minister Martin Cullen said it was a 20-year plan." PR woman Monica Leech, whom former Environment Minister Martin Cullen employed at E800 a day plus VAT, also worked on the NSS. But a spokesman said it is impossible to quantify exactly how much she earned on the project because she was also working on other projects.