Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to welcome the Minister to the House and I was also delighted to have met her in Carlow last Friday. It is great to see a female Minister. I am thrilled and wish her well. It is great for women because I always think we fight for everything.

I want to talk about the south east. As she knows, it continues to have the highest unemployment rate. An action plan for jobs has been set up but I was disappointed recently, when researching this area, to discover that IDA Ireland visited Dublin more than 100 times last year while Carlow got two visits. Will the Minister look after rural Ireland? Rural Ireland is so important and towns like Carlow, Bagenalstown, Hacketstown and Tullow also need employment. We need IDA Ireland to visit us more often. Will the Minister address the issue and revert to me on it?

As the Minister knows, in the past week there has been major coverage in all the newspapers on the university for the south east. That is massive. It is massive for Carlow because Carlow IT is one of the biggest employers in Carlow, employing more than 700 people. Further, it is crucial to have university status for the south east, especially Carlow and Waterford. Figures show that 7,260 people are missing out on higher education places because of this. This is crucial for students and parents who want to give their children an education in life that can open up many a door. Will the Minister commit on this because it is crucial for the south east?

I know the issue of apprenticeships has been addressed already. These are vital in building a skilled workforce and I think that aspect is missing. We need as many jobs as possible but we need to ensure that there are apprenticeships for people who want to become electricians, builders and plumbers. We have to ensure that they are being catered for as well. This is something I feel the Minister will address. It is something that needs to be addressed. Not to be repetitive but between 2011 to 2015, 338,000 people emigrated from Ireland due to lack of jobs. SMEs provide great jobs and employment but they are not getting credit from banks. Credit is a massive issue and these enterprises are not getting the support they need. Will the Minister ensure that SMEs are looked after and get the credit they need from banks?

Another matter that is very dear to my heart because I have been dealing with cases in respect of it in the local authority is local development contributions. I know of a case where in the boom a building was bought but the banks now own it. There are people who are interested in buying this building. They will create jobs and give employment but for them to buy this building they are being asked to pay a €70,000 development contribution to the local authority. Will the Minister please do something about these development contributions? They need to be taken away. That is what is stopping small SMEs from setting up new businesses. Will the Minister address the issue?

We have spoken about rates. We also have what is called the global re-evaluation of rates and businesses. It is a newly introduced system. There is an awful fear now because small businesses are being reassessed for their rates and many of them are being increased. Will the Minister examine this global re-evaluation to ensure rates do not go up? I can tell the Minister that I know of three or four people who are being assessed and whose rates are being increased. This will result in the loss of jobs. Evaluations are great and all but at the end of the day it must be ensured that the rates paid by businesses are not increasing.

I was a little surprised that the issue of online shopping was not addressed this morning. Online shopping is absolutely huge, in particular for younger people who are inclined to be spending all the time. What can be done? As the Minister knows, towns such as Carlow, Bagenalstown and Hacketstown are trying to rejuvenate their town centres. This issue needs to be addressed. We need to ensure that new shops open and that footfall is increased in town centres. These town centres are affected by online shopping. I do not wish to be repetitive but broadband is definitely affecting businesses, as is phone coverage.

All I can tell the Minister is that we have what I too believe is called the working poor. These people can only afford to have one parent go out to work because they cannot afford the cost of child care. Will the Minister please look after the working person? This is the person that is most affected. Will she ensure the south east gets its fair representation from IDA Ireland and from businesses and will she ensure that university status is achieved for Carlow and the south east?