Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to what the Minister of State said. She talked about the pipeline for jobs in Sligo remaining strong. However, the statistics show that is not the case. In 2017, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation released a document looking at figures from the 2011 and 2016 censuses. This showed the lowest increase of any county in the country, 2%, was to be seen in Sligo. The national increase was 11%. It is not just Sligo. The surrounding counties, Leitrim, Roscommon and Mayo, had the second, third and fourth lowest increases. The pipeline for jobs in Sligo and the surrounding counties is not strong. Last week, I pointed out to the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, that almost 60% of the area of Sligo, including Collooney, will wait until 2025 or 2026 for connection under the national broadband plan. This Government needs to look at the regions, including Sligo, and put something in place that will work.

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