Simon Coveney claims Government has new plan to 'rebalance' the country's population
The Housing Minister says people need to be encouraged to live in places other than Dublin.
Simon Coveney claims the Government has a new plan to 'rebalance' the country's population as CSO figures show most people are living on the East Coast to be near to the capital.
The issue is most pronounced in Saggart in South County Dublin which is the fastest growing town in Ireland
Minister Coveney says careful investment is the key to spreading out the population.
"We can't simply give the same amount to every town in the country, because what the effect of that has is that it provides small improvements for everyone but doesn't actually fundamentally change anything.
"That's why I have been saying that my rule of thumb is that over the next 20 to 30 years effectively we want to attempt to double the size of all of the cities, in population terms, outside of Dublin," he said.
