Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Job Losses.

Mr. McGinley:

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, as deis a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a árdú ar an Athló.

Tá fógra faighte ag na hoibrithe i monarcha MDR ar eastát tionscail Ghaoth Dobhair go bhfuil leachtaitheoir ag dul isteach ansin ag deireadh na míosa. Tá gach cosúlacht ar an scéal anois go mbeidh 40 post eile caillte ar an eastát. Ní seo an chéad uair a d'ardaigh mé an cheist seo i mbliana agus tá súil agam gur seo an uair dheireannach a bheidh mé ag déanamh cáis do fhostaíocht sa chondae, agus go speisialta sa Ghaeltacht, anseo sa Dáil.

Tá a fhios mhaith ag an Aire Stáit go bhfuil 1,000 post, ar a laghad, caillte ar an eastát tionscail i nGaoth Dobhair le cupla bliain anuas, ceann des na heastáit tionscail ab fhearr a bhí ag Údarás na Gaeltachta. Ar an eastát tionscail tá monarcha málaí plaisteacha imithe, tá monarchana Dianorm, Qualtran, BMR agus RMT ar shiúil agus tá Comar Yarns ar tí a bheith druidte. Inné tháinig an scéal go bhfuil MDR ins an bhád céanna.

Tá sé ag déanamh dochair móir do shaol na Gaeltachta agus do fhostaíocht sa Ghaeltacht go bhfuil an oiread san des na monarchana druidte, go bhfuil an oiread san postanna caillte, nach bhfuil aon fhostaíocht le fáil ag daoine óga ar an eastát anois agus go gcaithfidh siad an baile a fhágáil agus dul go dtí páirteanna eile den tír agus den domhain le fostaíocht a fháil.

Cuireann sé seo isteach ar gach gné de shaol na Gaeltachta. Tá sé ag cur isteach ar shiopaí, ar thithe ósta, ar óstáin agus ar thithe tabhairne agus ar gach gnó eile. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil plean forbartha déanta amach don eastát. Lainseáladh an plean sin beagnach bliain ó shin. Iarraim ar an Rialtas, ar an Aire Stáit agus ar an Aire Gnothaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta go ndéanfaidh siad gach iarracht an plean sin a chur i bhfeidhm. Táimid ag cailleadh postanna lá i ndiaidh lae agus is beag post úr atá ag teacht isteach.

Cé go bhfuil postanna á gcailleadh sa Ghaeltacht tá siad á mbunú i áiteacha eile ar fud an domhain. Mar shampla, tá Qualtran ag dul go dtí Meicsiceo, Comar Yarns ag dul go dtí oirthear na hEorpa, cuid acu ag dul go dtí an cian oirthear agus cuid eile ag dul go tuaisceart na hAfraice. Tá freagracht ar an Rialtas de thairbhe na postanna sin a gcailleadh ins an tír seo agus iad ag dul go dtí áiteacha eile.

Deirtear linn go mbeidh postanna úra lán aimseartha a mbeidh scileanna agus ard oideachas riachtanach fána gcoinne ag teacht ach tá siad íontach mall ag teacht agus táimid ag cailleadh i bhfad níos mó ná mar atáimid a fháil.

The unemployment crisis in County Donegal is not confined to Gaeltacht areas. Jobs have also been lost in other parts of the county, including the Finn Valley, Ballybofey, Stranorlar, Letterkenny, Milford, Dungloe and Inishowen, as well as in the Fruit of the Loom company. Indeed, when the Central Statistics Office published its findings yesterday, we were not surprised to learn that Donegal is top of the league as far as unemployment is concerned. The unemployment rate in Donegal is 15.6%, twice the national average. Since the census took place in 2002 the situation has further deteriorated, making Donegal the national unemployment blackspot.

During the boom years 350,000 new jobs were created in this country but few of them came to County Donegal. These are facts that cannot be denied. The official figures speak for themselves. Donegal has given this Government and its predecessor plenty of loyalty. Most of the county's Deputies have supported the Government but that loyalty has not been returned. Urgent action is required. Donegal demands and is entitled to a positive response if the situation is not to deteriorate further.

Donegal must be declared a high priority area. Attractive incentives should be offered to prospective investors and industrialists. The county cannot afford the continuous haemorrhaging of jobs. Unless the problem is urgently addressed, Donegal will become an industrial wasteland. I do not wish to be pessimistic but the situation is critical ní amháin sa Ghaeltacht ach ar fud an chondae. Tá lúcháir orm go bhfuil an tAire Stáit anseo agus go bhfuil sé ag éisteacht. Tá súil agam go mbeidh sé in ann dóchas de chineál éigin a thabhairt, chan amháin do mhuintir na Gaeltachta ach do mhuintir an chondae ar fad. Sin iad na figiúirí – tá an ráta dífhostaíochta is airde sa tír againn agus is cinnte go gcaithfear rud éigin a dhéanamh ina thaobh.

Mr. Gallagher:

Tuigim go maith mar Theachta ón cheantar sin gur buille eile é seo do Ghaoth Dobhair agus do na bailte timpeall uirthi. Is mian liom mo chomhbhrón a chur in iúl dóibh siúd a chaillfidh a bpost sa chomhlacht seo.

D'oibrigh úinéirí agus foireann go dian ón am a bunaíodh an comhlacht i nGaoth Dobhair roinnt blianta ó shin. MDR Leictreonach Teo., an Irish-owned company, has been manufacturing printed circuit boards in Gaoth Dobhair since 1988. I vividly recall the situation at that time as I had responsibility for the Gaeltacht and I worked closely with the company when it was established there. It was established to purchase the assets of Ciorcaid Graifeach Teo., which had gone into liquidation. Le tacaíocht ó Údarás na Gaeltachta, d'éirigh le MDR ardchaighdeán a bhaint amach í gcúrsaí déantúsaíochta PCBanna agus bhí sé ar a chumas cláir a bhí an-chasta le déanamh a dhéanamh. Faoi dheireadh na bliana 2000 bhí margadh maith ann agus tháinig méadú ar obair an chomhlachta. Faraor, ag tús na bliana 2001, tháinig cor chun donais sa margadh leictreonaic agus thosaigh go leor de na custaiméirí a bhí acu ag ceannach PCBanna sa Chian Oirthear.

Arising from this downturn MDR began to focus on complex boards in small batch quantities but sales continued to decline and employment in the company fell from 71 to the current level of 39. Over the past year approximately 30 of these employees have been working short time. A number of PCB manufacturers in Britain and Ireland have closed in recent years as manufacturing moved to the Far East. In an effort to ensure the company's survival, discussions were held with two potential purchasers at the beginning of 2003 but without success. Due to severe financial difficulties the board of the company decided to nominate a liquidator. Shareholders' and creditors' meetings will be held on 29 October with a view to making this appointment.

The loss of jobs in recent times on the Gaoth Dobhair Business Park is a major cause of concern to me, to the Minister who is absent from the House on business and to the Government. It has been discussed at various times in the House. Employment in the business park reached a peak of 1,338 in 1998 and remained stable until the year 2000. In the last three years employment has decreased to a level of 750. However, on a more positive note, it is worth mentioning that 288 new jobs were created in the Donegal Gaeltacht in 2002 in Údarás na Gaeltachta assisted industries and this good work is continuing in 2003. In Gaoth Dobhair itself this year there has been good news on the jobs front, in Athscríbhinn Ceilteach Teo., a medical transcription company which was officially opened recently, and the coach builder Euro Iompú Teo., which has announced an expansion of its business. Bia Gaoth Barra Teoranta has commenced business and is providing much-needed employment in snack food manufacturing. These and other cases are the result of the ongoing efforts of promoters and businesses themselves, and of Údarás na Gaeltachta's continuous work in industrial promotion.

In early 2002, my colleague, the then Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Deputy Coughlan, set up a working group to address the issues of the serious level of job losses in the Donegal Gaeltacht and the vulnerability of some jobs in other Gaeltacht areas. This report, which is widely known as the the Bonner report, was presented late last year. On foot of the recommendations contained in the report, Údarás na Gaeltachta has over the the past year initiated a major job creation action plan.

A key objective of the plan is to approve 200 jobs per annum for the Gaoth Dobhair area, with the aim of achieving peak employment again in five years. Extra staff resources in Údarás na Gaeltachta have been assigned to the Donegal Gaeltacht and a special team is helping to guide the implementation of the action plan. While recognising that the traditional manufacturing sector is under severe pressure nationally, it is important to bear in mind that there are still opportunities for new businesses, as well as the expansion or consolidation of existing enterprises. I have referred previously to the potential attaching to ventures that are Irish language based and I have asked an t-údarás to ensure that opportunities in this important sector are fully explored and developed.

The initiatives being pursued by an t-údarás include: targeting new sectors of the economy; upgrading building and telecommunications infrastructure; and greater emphasis on high skills and on the resources of the Gaeltacht itself, including the Irish language. Particular attention has been paid to the strengthening of third level educational resources. In this regard, the recent establishment by NUIG of a number of courses in an t-údarás premises in the business park has been a positive development. Only last week Deputy McGinley attended the launch ceremony for broadband. Gaoth Dobhair Business Park will have broadband by the end of the year. This is important infrastructure to entice services to the area.

This is a major blow to the industrial estate and to the three parishes of Gaoth Dobhair, the Rosses and Cloughaneely. The industrial estate has served the area well in the past but, unfortunately, the downturn in the world economy and the fact that we do not have a competitive edge against eastern Europe and the Far East has created serious problems. It is the Government's responsibility to create an economic atmosphere that is conducive to investment and I am aware from my term of office as Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht that Údarás na Gaeltachta has never lost an industry on the basis of having insufficient funds.

Is buille trom é seo do Ghaeltacht Thír Chonaill agus tá dualgais ar an údarás agus a chuid foirne a ndícheall a dhéanamh agus tá a fhios agam agus ag an Teachta McGinley go bhfuil na hoifigigh sin amuigh lá i ndiaidh lae ag mealladh daoine ón taobh amuigh agus an taobh istigh fosta.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 21 October 2003.