Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Forfás annual employment survey reports on job gains and losses in companies supported by the industrial development agencies. Data are compiled on an annualised basis and is aggregated at county level. Figures for 2013 will not be available until the end of the year. In the two-year period, 2010 to 2012, inclusive, the total employment numbers in IDA Ireland client companies in Donegal increased from 1,633 in 2010 to 2,228 in 2012, an increase of more than 25%. Increasing the FDI employment level over the period against the current global economic climate reflects positively on the importance and resilience of IDA Ireland's client companies in Donegal.

In 2013, the IDA has had a good flow of site visits to the county by prospective investors. There are 14 IDA Ireland-supported companies in Donegal employing 2,228 people in full-time and part-time employment in software development, systems development and medical technology. Companies, such as Pramerica and UnitedHealth - PacifiCare - which have located in County Donegal are continuously growing and recruiting. Current full-time employment for the three largest employers in Letterkenny, namely Pramerica, UnitedHealth - PacifiCare - and Zeus is 1,495 people.

County Donegal's industry base is transforming and it is a successful location for high-end manufacturing, mainly to companies in the medical technologies sector. The IDA actively engages with its existing base of companies in Donegal, highlighting the ongoing importance of upskilling and reskilling and the need to add high value activities in order to ensure sustainability and ongoing development.

Another focus for the IDA in County Donegal is the designated linked gateway of Letterkenny-Derry. This focus involves developing stronger economic links with Invest Northern Ireland, which includes initiatives like the north west business and technology zone, NWBTZ. This zone is aimed at promoting the linked gateway of Letterkenny-Derry in line with the Northern Ireland regional development strategy 2025.

Northern Ireland Science Park's plans to establish a satellite campus in the linked Letterkenny-Derry gateway at Letterkenny Institute of Technology CoLab and Fort George in Derry is a further positive development and will assist in the marketing of the location.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Other positive developments include the delivery of project Kelvin to Letterkenny. Project Kelvin is a joint initiative between the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation in Northern Ireland to supply a direct international telecoms connectivity project under the INTERREG IV programme 2007-2013. The project provides a direct international telecoms link from the north west of Ireland to North America via an onshore link to the existing transatlantic submarine telecoms cable. This service enables Letterkenny to have access to the same international services as found in major cities worldwide. Prices are commercially attractive and are benchmarked against international locations with 20% reductions. The pricing mechanism will remain in place until 2018.

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