Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. Unfortunately, it indicates what the reality has been in recent years regarding new investments coming to Donegal. As she rightly points out, the existing client companies in Donegal have done tremendously well, thrived in the county and continued to expand, thankfully. The figures she outlined, going from 2,200 to 3,300 in a few short years, demonstrate what a good place Donegal can be to do business, but of course all these existing client companies had to first locate in the county. They started off in the county and then grew.

There was a real priority in the county and there used to be an office based in Letterkenny specifically to attract new investment. As a result, the sector and foreign direct investment in Letterkenny and across the county thrived. That has, however, not been followed through by the existing Government in recent years.

The Minister has confirmed today that there have only been three new investments in the county in the past ten years. That is not good enough. It shows the Government must reappraise how it is doing this and it must try to ensure we have a pipeline of new companies coming in to bolster and grow employment in the county. Will the Minister undertake that she will revisit this and try to ensure we are getting our fair share of new investment in future?

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