Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)

Carrick-on-Suir has been felled by the news that 53 jobs will be lost to the town as a result of the closure of SRAM Ireland. This is a bad blow, particularly as the town already has an unemployment rate of more than 20%, with 890 people on the live register. Carrick-on-Suir is one of six blackspots in the south east identified by the South East Regional Authority. The town's circumstances have been brought to the attention of the Minister and his predecessors. Oireachtas Members and local elected members and officials met the Minister on 19 July last to discuss the issue and I raised the matter with him on 28 September 2005. In view of the job losses announced today, I repeat the request I made at the July meeting that job creation and investment be prioritised for Carrick-on-Suir and a dedicated task force established for the town.

Last September, the Minister indicated that the Department would not fulfil this request and referred to similar circumstances prevailing in other towns. The situation in Carrick-on-Suir is extremely serious and not comparable to that of other towns. As a result of today's developments, the town will have an unemployment rate in excess of 25%, which is almost unique. Carrick-on-Suir must be prioritised for job creation and the only way to do so is to create a task force specifically for the purpose of targeting jobs for the town.

In September 2005 the Minister stated: "I am confident the policies and strategies pursued by the development agencies, together with the ongoing commitment and support from Government, will bear fruit in terms of sustainable additional investment for all the towns in south Tipperary." This has patently not been the case. We need specific strategies for Carrick-on-Suir. We cannot continue to allow more than 20% of the workforce of the town to remain on the live register. It is not good enough that unemployment rates in Carrick-on-Suir have not improved one iota since 1997. I urge the Minister to establish a task force for the town immediately.

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