The current national development plan runs to 2020 and its successor will be in place until 2040, by which point it is predicted the population will have increased by 1 million. As Senators will be aware, the bias shown towards Dublin has created serious logistical problems. In the past 20 years an excellent road network has been constructed, which means that there is nothing to prevent major urban development outside Dublin. The Minister speaks about such development, but if he is serious about it, he should row back on the decision taken by the previous Government to put a stop to decentralisation. In Mullingar where I live more than €2 million was paid for a centrally located site that was fenced and shovel ready. It was to be used for a new office of the Department of Education and Skills in the town. Approximately 300 people accepted job offers and were ready to move to Mullingar before the plug was pulled on the project by the previous Government. I do not wish to make a party political issue of this decision, but it is now up to the Minister to press ahead with the project to advance the national development plan. The decentralisation programme was shelved for financial reasons and should be reintroduced under the national development plan. The site to which I referred in Mullingar is ready to roll and provides an ideal opportunity for a decentralisation project. I impress on the Leader the need to speak to the Minister for Education and Skills to find out whether he will roll out the 300 jobs promised in the town in a new departmental facility.

I should respond to Senator Terry Leyden's timely intervention. Yesterday, while attending a conference in Boyle, a young man from Elphin thanked me for introducing an air ambulance service in County Roscommon which had saved his life. Six months ago the air ambulance service transferred him from the scene of a car accident to an emergency department in Galway within 35 minutes. There are dozens of men and women, young and old, in County Roscommon who have had similar experiences. I called into Roscommon County Hospital this morning on my way to Dublin, as I do every week. The hospital was so busy I could not find a parking space. This is a major issue and a national disgrace. The hospital has become much busier and needs more parking spaces.

The reason for my late arrival was that I was attending the 13th national health summit in Croke Park, at which I was one of the speakers. More than 300 stakeholders in the health system, including managers, consultants and doctors, attended. After I spoke, Audrey Carville who organised the summit asked whether anyone present believed the downgrading of the emergency department in Roscommon County Hospital had been a mistake or had cost lives. Not one of the 300 health professionals present raised a hand.