Deputy Martin Ferris has once again called on the IDA and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD. to address the disparity in investment in jobs, between Cork and Kerry.
Recently released figures show the total dominance of Cork over Kerry in IDA supported jobs in the South-West region.
The figures show that while numbers have increased in both counties, Cork has received 17 times the number of new jobs created since 2012 that Kerry has received in that time.
Neglect of Rural Ireland
“These figures show what many of us believe is the neglect of rural Ireland by this and previous governments,” said Deputy Ferris.
“Rural areas of Kerry are being decimated by depopulation with the lack of employment oppurtunities being the critical fact.
“Many areas of Kerry are totally reliant on tourism and farming which cannot sustain enough jobs to ensure our villages and towns remain viable.
Pressure on Small Business
“We have seen the falloff in numbers starting primary schools and the increased pressure on small businesses and post offices.
“Ministers and departments cannot continue to treat counties like Kerry as afterthoughts and we need to get our fair share of the resources available if we want to keep rural Ireland populated,” Deputy Ferris concluded.
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