Pat the Cope Gallagher
Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has rounded on the Government for failing to prioritise new employment creation within Donegal.
In a reply to a Parliamentary question the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation confirmed to Pat the Cope that only 1 site visit by IDA had taken place in Donegal within the first 4 months of 2016.
The reply further revealed that there were only 5 site visits in 2015 and 6 in 2014.
Deputy Pat the Cope stated at a time when the Government is claiming that growth is returning to all parts of Ireland, it is incredible to think that no priority is being given to Donegal especially in the context of current high unemployment levels within the county.
“It is going to be imperative for the new Minister to positively discriminate in favour of Donegal and other western seaboard counties in order to have balanced regional development, otherwise communities throughout Donegal will not see the benefits of reducing national unemployment levels.”
He added that the past 5 years have seen a very anti rural approach to sustainable development; this if it is allowed to continue unchallenged will destroy rural Ireland.
And he challenged the Government and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to put in place with the support of the Dáil – an Action Plan for job creation in counties such as Donegal.
“This plan needs to have set targets, goals, aims, strategy and fully resourced in order to ensure its delivery. It further requires total buy in from all employment/ job creating agencies of state.
“The figures released from the Minister confirming only one site visit to Donegal leads me to believe that the message of Donegal’s unemployed has not yet reached the Government stated Pat the Cope. The employment creation situation is further exasperated by the continuing delay in rolling out broadband to the county with the deadline now delayed once again.”
In conclusion Pat the Cope called on the Government to prioritise job creation within the county, by placing greater pressure on the employment creation agencies to deliver for Donegal and to back up actions with recourses in order to deliver jobs for the county.
“Now is the time for focused action in order to deal with this ongoing employment problem,” he added.
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