It’s claimed the north and west are being held back due to a lack of infrastructure and investment.
A new report, looking at Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Mayo and Galway, finds the counties are on par with the poorest areas of Europe for infrastructure.
Investment in transport, health, education, housing and energy is way behind other areas of the country and the continent.
The Northern and Western Regional Assembly says the government should have a policy of “positive discrimination” to deliver regional equality and take pressure off the Greater Dublin Area.
It’s Economist, John Daly, says the North and West need to have their own decision-making powers: