Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 3

Written Answers - Job Creation.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

80 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress to date in achieving the aim within the Donegal task force report to reduce unemployment to the national average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12660/01]

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

The Donegal employment task force report which was presented to me in July 1999, recommended that 9,950 new jobs be created-approved by 2006 to compensate for job losses and redundancies and to reduce unemployment to the national average.

A significant programme of job promotion, itineraries and co-ordinated action on the ground led to the approval-creation of over 2,000 jobs in the 1999/2000 period of which about 1,750 were jobs assisted by IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Údaras na Gaeltachta. In addition, work is ongoing in developing business and office parks and advance space and facilities. Considerable progress has also been achieved in creating higher technology-higher value added jobs in Donegal.

Despite this progress I am aware that difficulties remain in achieving net job gains due to the high level of job losses in the county. To address this position I recently asked Forfás to consider options in relation to improving the level and quality of research and development activity in the northwest, including possible links through science foundation funding or other similar programmes. IDA is also playing its part in the development of Donegal by maintaining the maximum number of existing jobs in overseas industry and by attracting new investment in manufacturing and international services. Enterprise Ireland, whose priority is attracting companies to Donegal from Dublin and the east coast, will run a marketing day in Dublin in June 2001 to highlight to expanding companies the benefits of locating in the regions.