Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this extremely important matter for Limerick. When I raised it previously on the Adjournment on 8 October the reply I was given was extremely unsatisfactory. I got a four-page reply, only one paragraph of which dealt with Dell, while the question I raised specifically related to Dell. The reply effectively stated that the IDA had been in contact with Dell and that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment had been kept informed. Subsequently she met Dell management. She has yet to say what was discussed. We need to be told exactly what was discussed. We understand from Dell that it is currently carrying out a global review of its operations with no specific date as to when it will be concluded. It is imperative that the Tánaiste and Minister responsible, Deputy Coughlan, should become proactive on this issue. I understand that she is involved in an IDA promotion tour in the United States. I expect she will make a point of calling to see the head of Dell, Mr. Michael Dell, to discuss the future of the company in Limerick.

During the past week Dell has laid off 450 to 500 contract temporary staff. This has caused extreme anxiety for those people and their families. Furthermore, it has created an enormous degree of uncertainty about the future of Dell and the job security of its 3,000 permanent staff. The Government has a duty here and it should have been proactive in this respect.

I raised this matter initially when I wrote to the Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, on 12 September asking him to intervene to deal with the multinational sector, including Dell, to see what could be done. I did not receive a reply until 25 September, some two weeks later, indicating that the matter had been passed to the Tánaiste, Deputy Coughlan, from whom I have yet to receive a response. This is grossly unacceptable to the workforce in Dell and to the people of Limerick. There appears to be a veil of silence on the part of the Government about Dell.

A statement must be made tonight on behalf of the Tánaiste confirming that the Government is doing absolutely everything to ensure that Dell continues to provide the employment in Limerick. It contributes more than 4% of expenditure to the Irish economy and 5% to GDP. The Government has let down Limerick and the employees of Dell. We have had savage cuts, a lack of connectivity, the lost of the landing slots at Heathrow, a diminishing number of transatlantic flights and the imposition of a €10 charge on flights from Shannon. No funding was provided in the budget, nor was any gateway funding provided, for the Limerick regeneration project.

I call on the Tánaiste as a matter of urgency to establish a taskforce in Limerick to deal with the growing level of unemployment. More than 9,000 people are on the live register in Limerick city alone, which represents an increase of 50% and is well above the national average. Such a taskforce should deal with creating employment and retraining. Integral to that, it should seek to provide funding for the Limerick regeneration project for the communities of Moyross, St. Mary's Park, Southill and Ballinacurra-Weston. The overall message is that we need answers about what the Government is doing to ensure that Dell remains in Limerick and continues to be a fantastic employer for the more than 3,000 people it employs there. The Government needs to provide incentives and to ensure that Dell remains in Limerick.

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