Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important issue. We have been calling for this debate for some time and we now have the opportunity to address some, if not all, of the issues identified in the mid-west task force report, as well as some of the more peripheral issues with which those of us involved in the region are familiar. Like other Members from the mid-west, I had the opportunity to discuss with Denis Brosnan, the chairperson of the task force, his views on these issues and his concerns about the advancement of some of the elements identified in the report. He made it clear to all of us that he wanted a co-operative approach across all political divides and stressed the necessity to avoid political point scoring. Politics being politics, perhaps he as a former chief executive of a public limited company could carry off that suggestion. However, it has not happened and there has been a level of going for the soundbite rather than taking action.

This is unfortunate, because this is not about the task force nor the recommendations. It is about the lives of men, women and children who have been affected by the scourge of unemployment, by the disastrous decision of Dell to leave and move to Poland, with the loss of 1,900 jobs, and the knock-on effect that has had on other supporting enterprises and industries. It behoves all of us to try to find solutions. We must move away from the necessity to score political points. There are other issues where we can do that. When it comes to something as important as the livelihoods of people, the loss of people's homes, unemployment to which there seems no end and lack of opportunity we must stop throwing balls across the House and sit down and work constructively towards solutions.

Several contributors to this debate have identified that some of the issues raised in the report are not local issues. There is a national dimension to them. One of the most important aspects of trying to generate employment and assist small businesses was dealing with the banking crisis and resolving some of the major issues. We have dealt with and are dealing with these issues. There are no overnight solutions to many of the main problems.

Deputies referred to foreign direct investment and the necessity for the IDA to bring more companies to the mid-west region. In the past year and a half or two years, the IDA secured 18 visits to the mid-west region. Not enough visits have been converted into job creation but I do not blame the IDA for that. It is very clear that, with the distressed state of economies around the world, particularly in the United States, from where much of our foreign direct investment derives, other nations are experiencing their own financial difficulties. Companies are down-sizing and are not expanding and investing overseas. We must be mindful of that when seeking in the House to impugn the reputation of the IDA in respect of its efforts.

The IDA has a very considerable track record. Even in the past two years in the mid-west region, it has been involved in the creation of so much employment. In February 2008, 60 jobs were announced in respect of Vistakon. Also in that month, Channel Advisor announced 15 jobs and Zimmer Holdings in Shannon announced 250 jobs.

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