Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody for their contributions. By way of background, the Department has provided lots of detail on what appears to be many successful employment initiatives and start-ups in the midlands. It is sobering to recall that the unemployment rate in 2015 was 14.9%, whereas it now stands at 6.6%. I know from my constituency in Donegal that one of the main factors in the reduction in employment was emigration.

Can the witnesses provide statistics on how many of the 19,500 jobs that have been created are based in the midlands, how many have been taken up by long-term unemployed people in the midlands and how many people have emigrated from the region since 2015? As has been said, people are in work but they may be working in Dublin and Galway. I am interested in finding out those figures.

Mr. Hughes stated that the midlands plan sets out seven strategic objectives. Two of the objectives listed were a transition to a low carbon economy and big data opportunities. How are those two objectives compatible? I presume that big data opportunities mean data centres.