The Chairperson of the Western Development Commission (WDC) , Castlebar based business man Paddy McGuinness, has asked not to be reappointed to the position , citing a list of criticisms and accusing the government of ignoring the Commission.

Paddy McGuinness, a former Fine Gael councillor was appointed by Enda Kenny to the position of Chairperson of the WDC 6 years ago.

The WDC is a statutory body set up to promote social and economic development across the 5 counties of Connaught together with counties Clare and Donegal.

Mr McGuinness has now written to the Minister of State for Regional Economic Development, Michael Ring, asking Minister Ring not to consider him for reappointment to the post.

Midwest News today attempted to contact both Paddy McGuinness in Castlebar and the Western Development Commission, the commission’s headquarters are in Ballaghaderreen.

We were told that Mr McGuinness is not available until after May 13^th, and when we contacted the commission asking if it was issuing any statement  - the response was they did not know and took the newsroom number.

Minister Ring confirmed he had received the letter and said he will be responding in due course.

The Taoiseach’s office was contacted for comment and we are awaiting a response.

Midwest News has not seen the letter first hand, but Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has issued a statement calling on the government to respond to Paddy McGuinness’s concerns and in that he publishes a significant portion of the letter.

Mr McGuninness asks Minister Ring not to be considered for reappointment saying he has taken this action because he believes strongly that there is absolutely no commitment at either political or administrative level to balanced regional development nor is there any worthwhile plan to redress rural decline.

He goes on to say that the Minister’s Department has never engaged with him on what the WDC was doing or whether it could achieve more.

Examples provided by Mr McGuinness over the lack of interest in the commission’s work include:

• The commission was left without a board for over three months in 2014 and at present  does not have a board since 20th February of this year.

• The position of CEO is vacant for almost three years despite the board’s efforts to have it filled.

• An allocation of €2m in 2015 to develop a pilot Strategic Regional Development Office was appropriated (possibly mistakenly) as capital expenditure. The proposal did not need and could not use capital expenditure. Yet over 18 months of representations has failed to have the funds transferred to current expenditure. As a result, no progress has been made on an exciting initiative.

• The present Programme for Government contains a line committing ‘an enhanced role for the Western Development Commission’. In spite of persistent enquiries at political and administrative levels, the board has not been told what exactly the ‘enhanced role’ means or involves.

• A delay of at least six months work on the proposed Atlantic Economic Corridor through setting up yet another organisation to progress the proposal, despite the fact that this project could easily have been led by the WDC.

MEP Carthy says the letter is a damning indictment of Government policy in relation to the West of Ireland and rural communities in general.

"It is just the latest in a long line of evidence of the failure of Fine Gael, like Fianna Fáil before them, to go beyond rhetoric when it comes to rural and regional development.

He calls on Minister Michael Ring to make a statement on this immediately and outline what he intends to do to rectify a deeply worrying situation for people in the west of Ireland.

Galway West Fianna Fail deputy Eamon O’Cuiv told Midwest News today that he will be raising the matter in the Dail next week