Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

As one of the two remaining Deputies for Donegal South-West, along with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I support this motion. When writs are moved for by-elections, it is usually as a result of a sad event such as the passing away of a Member as occurred in the last two by-elections caused by the deaths of two long-serving Members, Séamus Brennan and Tony Gregory. As was said earlier, this is a different occasion with the writ being moved under different circumstances and I formally congratulate our former colleague, Pat The Cope Gallagher, on his recent election success.

With him going to Europe, however, there is a democratic deficit in Donegal South-West. As a Member for the constituency, I believe the 67,000 constituents are entitled to the same parliamentary representation as any other constituency from Donegal to Cork. Donegal South-West needs full representation in the House to highlight its needs and difficulties. The economic crisis is having a more severe impact on Donegal than on any other county.

When the Government came to office two years ago, unemployment in Donegal was at 8,500. Today, approximately 20,000 people are unemployed, an increase of over 100%. I do not know of any other county where this has happened. The economic and industrial base of Donegal has severely contracted with many factories shut such as Hospira in Donegal town, with the loss of 600 jobs, Parian China and James Likely in Ballyshannon and Herdsman and Nena Models in the Finn Valley. Tourism, fisheries and agriculture, the lifeblood of the county's economy, are at a low ebb. More shoppers are going across to Northern Ireland due to unfavourable trading conditions. The people of Donegal South-West should have an opportunity to give their verdict on the Government's performance in the past two years.

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