Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that there has been no proper sustainable job creation as a result of what happened. This process will not be seen as just by me and many others in the county until we can actually see jobs being created. Job creation will be highly dependent on the investment that comes in and the fact that we have only received €500,000 out of an €18 million pot is scandalous. It is a national scandal and it has to be looked at. We need this type of money to be able to create jobs. The applications that went in from Offaly County Council related to towns like Tullamore and areas like Shannonbridge and Rhode in north Offaly where there were projects that would create jobs. We are trying to work our way out of this mess while trying to move forward and create the jobs we so badly need in Offaly but if we are only given 3% of a funding pot, it is not acceptable. We need urgent intervention. I accept the Tánaiste's constructive response and thank him for agreeing to look into the matter but we need some urgency as well.

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