IDA under pressure to bring industry to rural areas

The IDA is coming under severe pressure to provide more jobs in rural Galway – rather than focusing their attention on larger centres of population like Galway city.

While Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor toured the country over the summer months, there are demands for new employment in towns like Tuam, Ballinasloe and Loughrea.

There are still more than 2,000 out of work in Tuam while in Ballinasloe the loss of manufacturing jobs has resulted in more than 2,500 being left on the dole. The number of closed up shops in the town has reached unprecedented levels.

TDs and councillors representing these towns have called on the IDA to seek planning permission for advance factories to be built so that facilities could be put in place that would attract manufacturing industry.

Fianna Fail’s Deputy Eugene Murphy says that the IDA jobs figures do not live up to their claims that they are spreading jobs fairly across the country.

The Roscommon-Galway TD said that there was evidence to show that almost 50% of foreign direct investment jobs were located in the greater Dublin area between 2012 and 2015.

According to fellow TD, Deputy Mick Fitzmaurice, the latest employment figures from the IDA shows clearly that the West of Ireland and other rural areas are falling further and further behind when it comes to job creation.

“The infrastructure deficit outside the main urban areas has been pointed out to us by major employers and is a major bar to employment creation

“The IDA figures show an increase in employment figures for Mayo and Galway, a small increase in Roscommon and a loss of jobs in Sligo and Leitrim.

“While the employment figures at IDA assisted companies shows a slight overall increase in the western area which is welcome, it is minuscule when compared to the figures for Dublin and Cork and other major urban areas,” Deputy Fitzmaurice added.

He said that he met with major employers in the west and they clearly said that the lack of proper infrastructure in terms of roads, proper broadband and mobile services and other basic facilities is a bar to employment creation in rural areas.

Fine Gael’s Cllr Tom McHugh has repeatedly called on the IDA to seeking planning permission for the construction of advance factories at their 27 acre site on the Dunmore Road in Tuam.

“While I welcome the Minister’s visit to the site during the summer, we need the IDA to provide the facilities at the business park for a manufacturing industry to locate there.

“It is a fine facility and one that should be utilised and particularly in view of the fact that Tuam will become part of a motorway in around 16 months’ time,” Cllr McHugh added.