Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

In 2002, there were 1,976 people on the live register in Ballina. In August 2006, there were 1,448 on the register. In other words, 528 more people were unemployed in Ballina in 2002 than there are today. I respectfully suggest that calling towns like Ballina unemployment blackspots does nothing to enhance the attractiveness of the town for inward investment. It does not create the right profile or image for the town. We need to deal in facts, and those are available in the live register and the quarterly household surveys. They show that the unemployment rate in Ballina has decreased significantly since 2002.

I am not on the county council. I did not select the site. I am not responsible for the complex legal difficulties that have surrounded the site. Far too often the Deputy's reflex action is to blame the Government and the IDA. I have discussed the matter with the IDA and have asked it to make a call, with the county council, as to whether it should engage or look at alternatives. My understanding is the county council selected this site and the IDA agreed, in good faith, to try to develop the site as an industrial park to attract jobs. It is not good enough for people to come here and attack the Minister of the day for decisions that were taken collectively at local level many years ago. However, there is a fundamental issue with the site that potentially involves significant litigation. I have asked the IDA to consult with the county council and examine all the options for the provision of top class industrial park facilities for Ballina.

The Deputy has been active in opposing any development of the Corrib gas field.

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