merrion street

The Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Joe McHugh T.D., has welcomed the 2015 results published by Údarás na Gaeltachta today (18 January 2016).
The Minister of State said: “These results published by an tÚdarás today is very positive news. The figures show that an additional 215 people were employed in Gaeltacht companies at the end of 2015 in comparison with the previous year. The growth in employment is seen mostly in companies engaged in exporting and this illustrates that Údarás’ strategy in relation to supporting Gaeltacht companies to focus on exports is succeeding.”

He continued “I am particularly pleased that the level of job losses is the lowest on record and that Údarás managed to create 533 new jobs in 2015. It also bodes well that projects were approved during the year which are expected to generate 580 additional jobs in the future. This is a reflection of the valuable work being done by Údarás na Gaeltachta to stabilise employment in the Gaeltacht.”
The Minister of State also made reference to the million euro of funding he secured for Údarás na Gaeltachta’s capital budget for 2016. “I am satisfied that this will help the Údarás to retain jobs in their client companies in the Gaeltacht and to continue to attract more investment to Gaeltacht areas. In that regard, I understand that Údarás aims to create 500 new jobs in the Gaeltacht in 2016.”
The Minister of State acknowledged in particular the progress made by Údarás na Gaeltachta during 2015 on the implementation of the language planning process in the Gaeltacht, in conjunction with the community organisations on the ground. “This is very important work and I am pleased that Údarás is prioritising the process in the 18 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas for which notices have been made to date,” said the Minister of State.