I was profoundly disturbed to learn that the European Court of Auditors has found that we did need to close Mallow sugar factory. I had an opportunity to visit Mallow sugar factory along with Deputy Sherlock, who was then a councillor, and listen to a presentation on the closure of Carlow sugar factory and the transfer of its machinery to Mallow. The people who made the presentation believed they could grow jobs at Mallow and argued there was no difficulty in transporting beet. They were adamant that Ireland ought to retain its sugar industry. This is a classic example of a Government which was not prepared to hear what this side of the House had to say, even while jobs were piling up in the construction sector and our manufacturing base was being eroded. It was a chronic failure that the jobs in Mallow were allowed to go without a fight for the people who worked at the plant and the growers who supplied it. Mallow is only one of many decisions, however. The biggest decisions, which relate to the banks, were addressed by my colleagues.

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