Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this most important of issues. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, for being here to deal with the issue.

A key factor is that the mid-west task force was established in February 2009 in the wake of the announcement by Dell that more than 2,000 people would lose their jobs as a result of the closing of its manufacturing facility in Limerick. I very much welcome the fact that Dell continues to provide more than 1,000 high-end jobs in Limerick and we hope that number will increase. This report emerged from the fact that a significant number of jobs were going to be lost in Limerick and the mid-west region. This task force was established nearly 11 months ago. Its report was completed and published within a short period by July 2009. Yet we find some seven months later that little if any of its recommendations have been implemented. That is not good enough.

A person of the eminence of Denis Brosnan took on the job of chairing this task force. It is extremely important that his recommendations and those of the other members of the task force are taken are taken on board. I note with regret that the IDA did not partake in work of the task force. The report's recommendations are varied and in its executive summary up to 20 issues are raised. I wish to deal with a number of specific recommendations that should have been implemented with immediate effect. The report states that Limerick and the mid-west region should be made a priority region for foreign direct investment. Yet we find that since the announcement by Dell, not one single IDA-backed job has been created in Limerick or in the neighbouring counties of Tipperary or Kerry. A total of 134 jobs were created in County Clare last February, around the time the task force was established. However, 2,500 new IDA-backed jobs went to Cork, Dublin, Kildare and Galway. The majority of the mid-west region did not get one.

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