Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

At the meeting in July, which the Deputy as well as Deputies Davern and Hayes and the councillors attended the overriding consideration was the training agenda. It was accepted that up-skilling and a proper skills foundation in the town was the key to future employment capacity and to securing jobs created in the region. It is unacceptable to do what the Deputy has done, which is to put a circle around Carrick-on-Suir and suggest that I should only look inwards and not 15 miles down the road, where last year the IDA announced a 1,000 jobs expansion in Guidant in Clonmel. It is simply untenable to attack either the IDA or the Government. They are implementing a reasonable strategy for the region. More than 200 jobs are to be created over the next couple of years in that facility.

The key agenda is to ensure we get as many people who are unemployed in Carrick-on-Suir into jobs that are created seven or 15 miles up the road as well as within the town——

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