In the 1970s, far-sighted senior engineers in Roscommon, including the county manager at the time, saw a niche in the market in Monksland near Athlone. They sought funding from central Government at the time but were refused. With whatever money they had, they developed an area in which multinationals or local businesses are located. Some 1,000 jobs have been created in that area. A medical centre for south Roscommon has been built there. Given the review by the boundary committee, this is in danger of being taken away from the people of Roscommon who put blood, sweat and tears into it.

Currently, €1 million in rates is taken from that area. Local business people who decided to set up businesses in Roscommon because they were from Roscommon are wondering what is going on and are very reluctant to expand until they see a politician giving a clear message that this will not go ahead.

I ask the Taoiseach if the Government will stop the review taking place in this area. Some 30,000 submissions have been submitted in the past week or two and, in fairness, some Fine Gael Deputies have said that what was is being attempted is lunacy. In the past few days, we have heard about bosses and so on but the Taoiseach is the leader of the country. Before he calls it a day, will he do the decent thing for the people of Roscommon and the Monksland and surrounding areas by stalling the review and making sure this does not go ahead?

Thank you.

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. I am well aware of the Monksland issue and of the administrative review taking place. These are statutory reviews which are carried out by independent groupings. There are four under way at present in different parts of the country. These reviews are not binding on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government of the day. Were they to become a reality, they would have pass through the Oireachtas. The first thing I want to say is that the review will go ahead but it is not binding. Those people who are scaremongering in Roscommon, in particular, would do well not to make comments as they have been doing, including that all the GAA clubs will be transferred to Westmeath, that 7,500 people will be moved to Westmeath and that all of the rates and so on will be sent to Westmeath. One could reflect on this in a different way and say there was a divide before, east and west of the Shannon. One could examine Athlone as being a municipal district, supported by Westmeath and Roscommon; or one could examine Athlone as being part of Roscommon. The issue being examined is Monksland being part of Westmeath. It is not a binding finding and I would not be too concerned about it from that point of view. I hope the Deputy can take that in the spirit in which I give it to him.

For the people who live in those areas, it is clear. It has been said openly that if this happens, the rates would go to Westmeath. When the British were in Ireland, one small chunk of the west of Ireland was put into Westmeath. There is poverty in that area because of the way Westmeath looked after it. I am worried because of the political connections of chief executive officers in some counties who have said in the newspapers that they want this. I am worried as to what will happen down the road. The Taoiseach has said it is a political decision. I accept that because at the end of the day, most things are political decisions. As a man who comes from the west of Ireland and who I have often heard say he is proud of the west of Ireland, will he please give an undertaking that if he is in the next Government and if the review is not finalised before then, he will make sure Monksland will stay in Roscommon and that the river Shannon will form the east and west divide?

That is the very point I am making to the Deputy. The statutory independent review looks at one element of this only. It is not a binding finding. I have said that one could have the Shannon as the east-west divide; one could have Athlone as a municipal area supported by both counties; or one could do the reverse of what is currently being examined and put Athlone into County Roscommon. Roscommon lost part of its county 100 years ago over the Gaelic Athletic Association when people from Ballaghaderreen played for the red and green instead of Roscommon but that is a different matter, as the Deputy is well aware. What I want - whoever the people decide to elect - is to keep the benefits of a rising economy being invested throughout the country. Roscommon is a county that has suffered much in recent years. Many elements of that were due to a lack of decisiveness about what actually needed to be done in Roscommon in terms of the major pieces of infrastructure, road routes and so on. Monksland is a developed and thriving area in terms of investment and the creation of jobs. I agree with the Deputy that people would be very upset were it to be shifted administratively to another district. I am very much a supporter of developing the county of Roscommon as an entity. Why would I not be? That is my strong belief. This report is not binding; it is an administrative report and will have to be dealt with politically afterwards. I will answer the Deputy's question in the affirmative by saying that if I have anything to do with it, that is my belief.