Dáil debates

Thursday, 8 December 2016

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions

IDA Site Visits

3:50 pm

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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9. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied with the number of IDA site visits to County Wexford in the past two years; if she will provide details of long-term measures she has planned in order to counteract economic stagnation in the south-east region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39113/16]

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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In regard to the previous question, less than 20% of the negotiations on CETA and TTIP concerned trade. I will now proceed to my question about jobs in Wexford. The national average unemployment rate is 7.2% while Wexford's unemployment rate is 18.4% - the third worst in the entire country. According to the South East Economic Monitor project, the south-east's economy continues to be characterised by persistently high levels of unemployment, deprivation and significantly lower job quality and that two data points explain why this might be the case: low education attainment and low higher education capacity within the region; and the paucity of new IDA-supported jobs over the past 25 years. Does the Minister have any serious plans to address those huge problems?

Photo of Mary Mitchell O'ConnorMary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Site visits to County Wexford are increasing. In 2014 there was one site visit to the county, while in 2015 there were four such visits. By the end of September this year, six visits had taken place. It is certainly the case that the south east was badly affected by the economic crisis. I am pleased, however, that the employment situation there has improved remarkably in recent years. The unemployment rate, for example, has fallen from a peak of 20.1% in early 2012 to 10.4% now.

Client companies of both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have contributed significantly to the improvement. In 2014 and 2015, those clients created a total of 5,181 new jobs in the south east, bringing total agency supported employment to 32,518 in the region.

The numbers show that the region is making significant progress, although much work remains to be done. The south-east regional Action Plan for Jobs, which was published by my Department last year, represents an important tool in our efforts to sustain the economic progress being made. Its goal is to have a further 25,000 people at work in the region by 2020 and to bring the unemployment level to within 1% of the State average.

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I dispute the Minister's figures. The national average unemployment rate at the moment is 7.2%, the unemployment rate in the south east currently stands at 12.5%, while the unemployment rate in Wexford is 18.4%. It is a separate county, although I accept it is not classified as such, but not only is the south-east region badly served, Wexford is the worst served part of the south-east region. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, is well aware of the facts.

Wexford has the third highest rate of unemployment in the country. It has the highest rate of suicide, one of the highest rates of rent supplement payments in the State and one of the highest percentage rates of people having no formal primary education at 18.5%. We have one of the lowest percentage rates, 20.9%, of people going on to third level, and one of the highest percentage rates of lone parents in the State. We are the third most deprived county in the country and by far the most deprived county in the south east. Wexford finds itself on the wrong end of almost every chart there is, and it is frightening that any county has been left behind to such a degree. I accept that is not the fault of the Minister. Too much parish pump politics over the years has left Wexford in the State it is in. Are there plans to introduce proactive measures to address the fact that we are living in the Dark Ages in Wexford?

Photo of Mary Mitchell O'ConnorMary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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First, people in Wexford are not living in the Dark Ages. The chairperson of the task force is a Wexford man and he is really involved and driving the improvement and progress we want for the south-east region.

We launched the regional action plans and we are working our way through them. I take on board what Deputy Wallace said. I read the report carried out by the Waterford Institute of Technology on unemployment in the area. We are working our way through the action plans. Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, the Retail Forum and the local enterprise offices, LEOs, are working together to make sure jobs are provided in Wexford. I accept what Deputy Wallace said about the various problems, including social problems in the area, but the Action Plan for Jobs is working. The south-east region was hit particularly hard, especially in the construction sector. Approximately 10,000 jobs were lost in the region and one does not get them back overnight, but we are working on the issue and there is an improvement, which is evident from the statistics. We must work much harder. It might be a good idea for Deputy Wallace to interact with the implementation group in the south east and to meet the chairman, who is from Wexford, who is driving the implementation group.

4:00 pm

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I have no problem with meeting the chairman. It still does not change the fact that unemployment is 18.4%. I have not been told about any direct actions that will happen. I was in here last week with the Minister for Social Protection who told me that I should be happy to hear that the number of people on the live register in the south east had dropped from 28,500 to 24,900. In fact, the figure for the south east in November 2016 is 41,556 so God knows what the Minister was thinking of but he was completely out with his figures.

I realise that it is not easy to pluck jobs out the sky but the area has been neglected and Wexford has been the most neglected part of the south east. There is an argument that when the private sector is not prepared or interested in supplying jobs, the State should engage directly in employing people. It would not cost the Government much more and there is some benefit from it. It would take people off the dole and give them State work. If the initiative is right and the interest is there, improvements can be made, but we need action.

Photo of Mary Mitchell O'ConnorMary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I take the Deputy's point but I am going by the figures I have. The published regional action plan jobs target for the south east is 25,000. A total of 13,000 jobs have been created in the area. The plan is working and the south east is probably one of the better regions. I realise that we still have a long way to go. I was down there and met the implementation group and its chairman on numerous occasions. We are working our way through it and I am sure the chairman would be delighted to meet Deputy Wallace. There is a skills forum. Someone asked me a question here earlier this evening. An assessment of skills is taking place. The construction sector was really hit hard. Many people in Waterford and probably Wexford worked in Waterford Crystal and traditional industries that are no longer there so we must look at it and make sure people are trained so that they are available for new opportunities in the area.