Noonan says senior IDA figures have not met midwest taskforce

SENIOR IDA executives failed to meet the taskforce on the mid-west established by the Government, Fine Gael Limerick East TD Michael Noonan told the Dáil.

“No IDA manager based in Dublin bothered to meet the task force,” he said.

“All connections were through the local office and neither Enterprise Ireland nor IDA Ireland has delivered a job coming from inward investment in the region in the past two years.”

Mr Noonan said the midwest region had the highest unemployment level in the State, at 13.8 per cent, and it was more than 20 per cent among under-25s in the region.

He said Denis Brosnan, who chaired the taskforce, had been “forthright and blunt in saying that of the 20 recommendations across the various departments, he could get neither access nor action and that nothing was happening”.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said she had received an interim report from Mr Brosnan last July, and the Government was responding under various headings.

“Last September I sent the taskforce a report on responses up to that time. Since then I have conducted a broad consultation with other Ministers and relevant divisions and agencies in my department.”

She said Ministers were finalising their responses in the light of their budgets for 2010 and she expected to send a further report to the taskforce shortly.

Mr Noonan said: “I accept that that the Tánaiste is an honest politician and that she is sincere in her views. However, her contribution to this debate was such a collection of guff, prepared by people who do not understand what is happening in the midwest region . . . ”

Ms Coughlan said she knew Limerick as well as or better than some of the Opposition TDs.

Limerick East Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan said there was great concern in the midwest that what was once a thriving, innovative, prosperous and forward-thinking region had been left with above-average unemployment rates.