Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

These unemployment figures are extremely bad. This is the third successive month in which the figure for unemployment has been the highest ever recorded in the history of the State. There are now some 371,000 on the live register. This represents an increase of over 200,000 on the figure that obtained at Christmas 2007. The figure of 371,000 does not include the 240 jobs that will, as announced yesterday, be lost at Schering-Plough, nor does it include the 1,200 jobs that will be lost at Dell's Cherrywood facility in my constituency or the 1,200 that will be lost at SR Technics.

The Taoiseach referred to the gap in the public finances. We acknowledge that such a gap exists and we are focused on what to do about it. However, the decline in the number of people at work, the associated loss of tax revenue and the increase in social welfare payments are causing the problem. The job losses to which I refer are engendering fear across the economy to such an extent that even those who are in employment are afraid to spend and tax revenues are decreasing further as a result.

Two weeks ago, the Labour Party put forward eight specific proposals to address the immediate problems relating to those who are losing their jobs and who are likely to be out of work for some time. Those proposals related to the provision of education, training, etc., so that some of the difficulties to which I refer might be addressed. Unfortunately, the Government voted them down.

I wish to focus now on what can be done to save jobs. I do not accept that we must throw in the towel, as the Government appears to be doing, in the context of trying to save jobs. Neither must we accept that jobs which can be saved are going to be lost. SR Technics is involved in the aircraft maintenance sector. Ireland is an island and if SR Technics goes, we will end up without an aircraft maintenance facility. SR Technics' business is being moved to Switzerland, which is hardly a low-cost economy. The equipment and hangars relating to aircraft maintenance are already in place at the SR Technics facility at Dublin Airport and a great skills base has been built up among the company's employees over the years.

We are informed that the proposed management buy-out at SR Technics will cost in the order of €25 million. That may seem like a great deal of money. However, if these people lose their jobs, the Government will be obliged to spend that amount next year in social welfare payments, refunding redundancy payments that will have to be made and paying secondary benefits to people. In addition, account must be taken of the tax revenue that will be lost. Why will the Government not respond positively to the proposal for a management buy-out at SR Technics? This buy-out would save 900 of the 1,200 jobs at the company, would lead to the retention of what is a viable business and a valuable skills base and would ensure that the country will continue to have an aircraft maintenance facility. Why does the Government not respond positively to the proposal for a management buy-out at SR Technics and save 900 of those jobs?

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