‘No urgency’ in tackling joblessness in south-east
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”.
A similar question posed by Mr O’Shea in September yielded the response that consideration would be finalised “in the coming weeks”.
“Effectively there is little or no difference between the two replies which indicates that little or nothing is happening,” said the Labour TD yesterday, calling on the minister to make “an immediate positive decision” on WIT’s application.
“It is generally accepted now in the south-east region that the setting up of the university of the south-east is the single most important issue in regard to the future of commercial and industrial development and prosperity of the region.”
The live register in Waterford stands at 8,078 — an increase of 55% on the same period last year — while Dungarvan’s live register count is 1,359, up 50% in a year.
Mr O’Shea asked the Tánaiste and Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan for a strategic plan on the commercial and industrial future of the south-east.
The Tánaiste said that IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland were targeting the pharmaceutical, medical technologies, information and communication technologies, and international/financial services sectors for the region. “A range of supports is available to clients throughout the region from capital to management development, along with access to Enterprise Ireland’s 32 offices around the world,” she said.
“As part of an initiative to encourage new start-ups in the region, Enterprise Ireland supports the Enterprise Platform Programme (EPP) — a one-year incubation programme designed to provide hands-on support and management development for entrepreneurs wanting to set up their own business — by funding eligible participants to attend. There are currently two EPP programmes in the south-east.”
Mr O’Shea described the Tánaiste’s reply as “of little value in the face of the major unemployment crisis in the region”.
