Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 9 Feb 2000

Vol. 514 No. 1

Written Answers. - Donegal Employment Initiative.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

104 Mr. McGinley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress, if any, made to date in implementing the recommendations of the Donegal employment task force in view of the unemployment crisis within the county where there is an unemployment rate of 22%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3365/00]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The immediate priority of the Donegal employment initiative was to facilitate re-entry to employment or retraining for all those who lost their jobs in Fruit of the Loom and other plants in Donegal in recent months. A programme of registration interviews was organised by FÁS and all of the redundant workers were offered re-training opportunities. FAS has recently completed a review of over 1,000 redundant workers who were registered under this programme. Some 22% of those who responded – 477 people – indicated that they had signed off the live register to take up new employment. A further 16% indicated that they had signed off to take up training.

The longer-term priority of the Donegal employment initiative was to draw up a set of recommendations for establishing Donegal as a prime, competitive and attractive location for job creation. The report of the task force presents a detailed analysis of the development challenge facing the county and recommends a seven-year development strategy to implement the investment priorities identified. On receipt of the report, the Government decided that all relevant Departments should examine the report and consider the investment priorities it proposes in drafting the operational programmes of the National Development Plan 2000-2006.

I met with the chairman and members of the task force on 23 November 1999 to discuss follow-up action arising from their report. We agreed that an appropriate mechanism is needed to oversee the implementation of the priority actions identified in the report and to liaise with Departments and State agencies in advance of setting up the operational programmes to implement the national development plan. We further agreed that the proposed county development board provides the framework within which such follow-up mechanisms can be readily devised. Accordingly, the chairman of the task force will establish a framework aligned to the structure of the county development board which will enable the various agencies which were involved in the work of the task force to meet and co-ordinate their efforts at local level. I will be meeting with the task force again next week in Donegal to review progress on implementation of these arrangements.