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Donegal "will lose a generation"
15.01.10
A DONEGAL TD has
expressed his alarm at "rocketing" unemployment
particularly among young people in the county. Fine
Gael Deputy Dinny McGinley said he was shocked at
the latest figures showing nearly 21,000 people now
on the live register throughout the county including
the Inishowen peninsula.
“In December alone, almost 700 people in Co Donegal
joined the jobless figures. Over the course of last
year, there was an increase of 5,494 in those on the
live register in the county," said Deputy McGinley. |
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“We are in danger of
losing a whole generation to unemployment and
emigration as more than a quarter of those
registered as unemployed are under 25. There has
been an increase of almost 1,000 young people in
this age bracket over the course of the last year
with almost 5,000 now unemployed. We are educating
and training our youth only to leave them on the
scrapheap or lose their talent to other economies." |
The South West deputy
appealed to the Government, and in particular
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, to act immediately to
address Donegal’s "economic tailspin". He urged Ms
Coughlan to seek inward investment for the county.
"Fine Gael has put forward a plan called ‘Hope for a
Lost Generation’ which specifically addresses youth
unemployment through a national internship
programme, a second chance education scheme and a
national apprenticeship scheme. The Government
should also adopt our proposals," he added. |
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