Dáil debates

Thursday, 28 January 2010

Mid-West Task Force: Statements

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I thank Deputy Penrose for allowing me to use this 15-minute slot because I need that much time to address the issue in any detail. Deputy Higgins will speak later to give a west of Ireland perspective.

I fully agree with Deputy Noonan that it is unprecedented that somebody like Mr. Denis Brosnan who was given charge of a task force on this very important issue should have had none of the 12 recommendations of the interim report implemented or responded to by Government. He was forced to take the unprecedented step of calling in the public representatives from the mid-west region and go on the national media to highlight the issue. While I have every respect for the Tánaiste, her speech contained the greatest load of waffle without any specifics about what is happening. Words like "information" were used repeatedly in terms of response to the plight of people losing their jobs and who have lost their jobs in the mid west. There is great concern in the region that what was once a thriving, innovative, prosperous and forward-thinking region has been left with above average unemployment rates, with jobs going down the Swannee and the response from the Minister in respect of IDA Ireland was about nothing. It has not delivered jobs to the region. I firmly believe the original brief of Shannon Free Airport Development Company, SFADCo, delivered much more to the region than these reconfigured agencies. I am very critical of the IDA because, as Deputy Michael Noonan has said, they did not even engage with the process.

It is unprecedented that somebody like Mr. Denis Brosnan, who was appointed by the Minister to do a job, and the members of the team who gave of their time, should have such a non-response. We need urgency about this and specifics rather than generalities. In term of specifics, I am very disappointed that my colleague, the Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea from Limerick, is not present for this debate.

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