The Minister was greeted with a delegation of union officials and people who had lost their jobs in the Lisnaskea area when he last visited the county. The Council is anxious to see how the Minister can help those who lost their jobs in factories closures in Fermanagh in recent years who number up to an estimated 1,000.

    Job losses continue in the county as Councillor Frank Britton pointed out at a recent Council meeting 20 jobs are to be lost in the electrical firm D. Evans Assemblies.

    “BT are undertaking a review of their operations and staffing levels and this could have some impact”, he said. “I would urge BT to be mindful of the quality workforce they have in Enniskillen and the quality of service they have here from the staff”, he added.

    Economic issues affecting the county have been raised with the Minister for Finance, Dr. Sean Farren at a meeting with him recently in conjunction with Fermanagh Business Initiative. They were:

    * Corporation tax in Northern Ireland is at 40 per cent which compares unfavourably with the tax in the Republic of Ireland at 12 per cent. “That is a real disincentive to business”, said Mr. Britton.

    * The aggregates tax plans which will impact on the quarry industry in Fermanagh.

    * The quality of the roads.

    * No broadband internet connection in Fermanagh.

    “We also talked about the need to decentralise into Fermanagh”, said Mr. Britton, pointing to the positive effects decentralisation has on towns like Tralee and Letterkenny. Mr. Peter Thompson. Fermanagh District Council’s Director of Development involved in a review on possible decentralisation.

    Mr. Britton proposed that Mr. Empey be invited to the county to hear the Council’s concerns and set out what proposals he would have for investment here.