Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The reason I tabled the question is because of figures I received a month ago on the number of jobs created and lost in Laois and Offaly. I did not believe the figures when I first saw them. The Minister outlined that two new jobs were created in Laois in IDA-supported companies while 23 jobs were lost. Enterprise Ireland created 76 jobs in Laois while 138 jobs were lost. There have been significant job losses in County Laois. In Offaly 31 new jobs were created and one job was lost. County Offaly has fared slightly better than County Laois. A total of 139 jobs were created in Enterprise Ireland-supported companies while, unfortunately, 171 jobs were lost. The net loss in Offaly was two jobs but Laois has been more badly affected.

In November I inquired how many visits the IDA had made. I was informed that not one single visit had been made to IDA client companies in Laois in the first 11 months of the year. The agencies have lost jobs in spite of the significant resources available to them. In the case of the IDA, its budget in 2012 was more than €80 million.

The Minister outlined the figures for the three years, 2008 to 2011, which are bad. It is not as if we have had good years. The latest figures come on top of a series of bad years. The number of net jobs created in Cork, for example, was 1,833. In the case of Dublin it was 4,012 jobs. A two-tier system appears to be in operation. Since the Government came to power, 3,100 net jobs have been lost in the midland region and 3,700 have left the labour market in the four midland counties, mainly due to emigration. The unemployment level in the region is at the incredibly high level of 17.4%. The situation is serious and we are most concerned about it.

Those of us who try to project the midlands in a positive way and to get things moving there are discouraged by the figures. The situation looks bad. I have discussed the issue with the Minister in the past. At local level, people are doing their best, yet there is an unemployment rate of 17.4% in the four midland counties. The negative IDA and Enterprise Ireland figures do not follow on from a number of good years. They continue the trend of the appalling statistics from recent years due to the crash. We must get on top of the situation. Could the Minister indicate whether a two-tier system is in operation by IDA and Enterprise Ireland?

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