Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is wrong. The unemployment level has not fallen by 6,000; it actually fell by 9,300 over the past five years. The Minister should boost his figures, but perhaps he does not want to do that because, while unemployment has fallen by 9,300, the number of jobs created only increased by 2,000. Some 7,000 people have left the county and that is why unemployment has fallen. People have gone to Dublin, London, New York and Australia. The Minister should be careful with the figures he has announced. Population figures have fallen because of emigration rather than on foot of anything he - or the Government - has done. That is the problem we have in Donegal.

I carried out a business survey of small towns across Donegal in recent weeks. There was a great response from a wide range of businesses in Ardagh, Donegal town, Ballybofey and other places. They have a sense that no help is being accorded to them in terms of keeping services going. They have identified the withdrawal of services as being the key factor and referred to the post offices, banks and Garda stations that have been closed. The Minister has to reverse that trend, which is the only way he can protect those towns.

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