Only 2 of the 607 IDA supported companies that have located in Ireland have come to Donegal since 2008.
Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn revealed the figures.
He described them as a “damning indictment of the job creation policies of this government and those before it”.
Senator Mac Lochlainn has also revealed that while there has been a 50% increase in jobs at IDA supported companies across the State since 2002, the number of jobs in Donegal in IDA supported companies has “stood still”.
He said “I have obtained these figures from the Minister for Jobs and Enterprise, Frances Fitzgerald in response to a parliamentary question and from an examination of the IDA’s annual reports since 2002.
“They are frankly, a damning indictment of job creation policies over those years under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael led governments. Only 2 out of the 607 new IDA supported companies that have set up in Ireland since 2008 have come to Donegal. That’s in a period where various governments promised us “balanced regional development”.
“I have also established that since 2002, the number of jobs in IDA supported companies across the State has increased by 50% from 133,000 to 200,000 jobs in 2016. However, here in Donegal, we have pretty much stood still, moving from 2,873 IDA supported jobs in 2002 to 3,039 jobs last year. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the tremendous success of Pramerica, led by local leaders, those numbers would have halved”.
“The Government and the IDA should have been able to build on the success story of Pramerica and other companies that have located in Donegal. They should also have built on the vision and leadership of the team at LYIT who have delivered the CoLab for start up businesses and the Science and Technology Park.
“The excuses have to stop and the delivery to Donegal of our fair share of jobs and investment needs to start. The Government need to outline their plan to make this happen”.
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