In recent months, I have met with delegations from IBEC north-west and from the Donegal County Development Board to discuss employment and related issues in the northwest. As a result, I have arranged for the expert skills group in Forfas to carry out research on the labour market needs of the region.
The Government and the State development agencies are committed to ensuring balanced regional development, particularly through the implementation of the national spatial strategy and the recently announced decentralisation programme, which should facilitate economic development in the area. The agencies continue to try and secure new investment for Donegal and are committed to playing their part in the development of the northwest by maintaining the maximum number of existing jobs and by attracting new investment into the region.