The social and economic issues faced by people in Donegal have been highlighted today while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hosts his rural Cabinet meeting in the county.
Government ministers have gathered in Oideas Gael Glencolmcille this Thursday afternoon for their final meeting before the summer recess.
With Ministers travelling far from Leinster House, the event has led Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty to put the experiences of people living and working in Donegal under the spotlight.
The Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson says the rural Cabinet meetings should be “something of substance rather than for optics”.
Deputy Doherty said: “Here in Donegal we know all too well of the many social and economic issues which exist here and which, for as long as any of us can remember, have plighted this region and have earned us the moniker of ‘the forgotten county’.
“When we look at almost every possible metric which measures economic and social performance we here in Donegal remain an outlier.
“Poverty continues to afflict the lives of ordinary people with census data having consistently identified communities across Donegal as having some of the highest levels of deprivation to found anywhere in the state.”
Deputy Doherty has also raised the issue of Donegal’s lack of high-quality infrastructure, which he says is impacting prosperity in the region:
“In terms of infrastructure, the county has no rail link, no motorways and survey after survey has found that homes and businesses here have access to some of the slowest download speeds in the state both in terms of mobile and fixed-line data.
“Essentially, if you’re from Donegal you are much more likely to be affected by poverty, to have a lower level of educational attainment, to be unemployed or out of work, while you also have the added burden of having poorer access to basic services and supports.”
The Donegal Deputy has said that “progressive policies” are needed to tackle the county’s issues.
Mr Doherty said: “The people of Donegal are well known for their ‘can-do’ attitude and there is a genuine entrepreneurial spirit in the county, something which is readily seen in the many small and medium sized businesses which – in spite of a challenging business environment – continue to be successful.
“It is just a pity that more isn’t being done at government level to bolster these businesses and support the badly needed employment they provide in our communities.
“So while today’s meeting of the Cabinet in Donegal is to be welcomed, I remain sceptical of this government’s willingness and ability to seriously address and remedy the many economic and social issues people living here experience in their daily lives.”