Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I know that the Tánaiste is standing in for the Taoiseach, who is in Madrid today.

The Pfizer company announced the loss of 785 jobs this afternoon in a number of locations throughout the country, 300 of which are in Cork, 275 in Newbridge and 210 in Dún Laoghaire. This is devastating news for the workers and families involved. While the job losses are not being introduced immediately, it is a matter of the most serious concern for those workers and for other corporations with investments in Ireland.

In his address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland last November, the then president Dr. Paul Duffy, who is also vice-president of operations for Pfizer Ireland, highlighted the challenges facing the multinational sector in this country. On 1 May 2010, he stated that Ireland should adopt a single issue of protecting jobs in the country. This was a major flagging issue by a big investor in Ireland. Last November, Dr. Duffy said that we needed to face up to the repositioning of Ireland as a country to be fit for purpose under the new global reality. He called for measures to be put in the budget which would retain jobs, encourage competitiveness and innovation, and which would prepare the foundations for new investment and new jobs.

The Tánaiste was the Minister for Enterprise and Employment at that stage. She would have had contact with Dr. Duffy in his role as the vice-president of operations for Pfizer Ireland. Given that the Government set aside €36 million in the December budget for a PRSI holiday for employers taking on new employees who had been six months or more on the dole, why has that scheme, which was referred to by Dr. Duffy, not been implemented? He specifically made the point that in view of the costs and charges that apply to multinationals in Ireland they should be allowed to offset research and development tax credit against other corporate or payroll taxes. He specifically asked for that in the presence of the Minister for Finance who was the guest of honour at that dinner. This proposal was supported by the Commission on Taxation and by the Fine Gael Party. Why was that not included in the budget given that a very major player in our country was sending out a signal about global repositioning that would affect not just Pfizer and Wyeth, but also every other multinational with particular reference to American companies here? Why were these two measures that Dr. Duffy as vice president of this company called for not dealt with in the budget? Why has the PRSI holiday not been implemented yet?

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