New figures show Kerry was virtually ignored for IDA investment in 2013
Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly has demanded a much greater focus on job creation in Kerry after the county was ignored by the State’s job creation agency, the IDA, last year.
According to new figures received by Fianna Fáil, there was just 1 IDA site visit to Kerry last year and 2 in 2012.
Overall, 101 new jobs were created in IDA supported companies in Kerry last year, while 68 IDA jobs were lost so the net increase was just 33 jobs in the entire year.
“These figures reveal a disgracefully low level of interest in tackling the jobs crisis in Kerry. It clearly demonstrates that the county has been side-lined for jobs investment in the past two years,” said Senator Daly.
“The Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton and the IDA have serious questions to answer. The IDA had a total of 376 site visits in Dublin in 2012/2013, compared to Kerry’s 3 visit over those two years. Cork had 69 visits over the same period, while Limerick had 53 IDA visits Galway had 33.
“It is not good enough for the Jobs Minister and the IDA to only take an interest in jobs investment in city areas, while more rural counties continue to suffer. We hear much at the moment about economic recovery, but many people living in Kerry are struggling to see any benefits whatsoever. We still have a jobs crisis in this county, our small local businesses are still under severe pressure, we have seen our local services cut dramatically, families are still struggling to pay basic bills and many young people are still being forced to move away to find work.
“We have seen how IDA attention on a particular area can make a huge difference to job creation in that area.
“We need a much greater focus on job creation in Kerry, and my colleagues and I have called on the IDA to take a much better regional approach to their work. What we are seeing at the moment is a two-tier recovery, and Kerry is on the wrong side of it.”
