Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

11. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if County Donegal has fallen behind other parts of the country in terms of job creation; if poor road and broadband infrastructure in County Donegal is a contributing factor to the lack of new inward investment there over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2088/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The CSO does not collect employment numbers on a county basis. Donegal is a part of the Border Region. Since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs, the Border Region has seen job growth of 20,000 which makes it one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Unemployment fell from 15.5 in Q1 2012 to 9.3 in Q3 2015 in the border region.

The Enterprise Agencies do record county data. In the past 5 years IDA employment in Donegal has grown by over 1000 jobs; an increase of almost 58%. This is an exceptionally strong performance for the country.

Employment has also grown in enterprises supported by Enterprise Ireland. Between 2011 - 2015 over 2,600 additional new jobs were created in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland in the border region. This compares to over 4,100 job losses in EI supported companies in the border region between 2008 - 2010.

Between 2011 - 2015 over 1,800 additional new jobs were created in companies supported by IDA in the border region. This compares to over 805 job losses in the period 2008 - 2010.

I have recently published a Regional Enterprise Plan for the North West and North East which aims to enhance the performance of all sectors in the region and to build on the strength of the various parts of the region. There has been strong engagement from stakeholders in Donegal in developing this plan.

Infrastructure is an important element of any region’s offering. I was particularly pleased to recently visit the Co. Lab at L.I.T. which will greatly enhance the attraction of the North West Regional Science Park.

Road and broadband infrastructure plays a key part in enterprise development and cooperation across government agencies, local authorities and local businesses and is vital when it comes to making improvements in this context.