‘No urgency’ in tackling joblessness in south-east

LABOUR TD Brian O’Shea has accused the education minister and the enterprise minister of neglecting the south-east’s growing unemployment programme.

The Government is showing “no urgency” in tackling the “chronic” joblessness situation, according to Mr O’Shea. The Waterford TD tabled a parliamentary question during the week to get a date for a decision on Waterford Institute of Technology’s (WIT) application for university status.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe replied that consideration of the applications — which include similar bids by ITs in Cork and Dublin — will be finalised in “the near future”.