Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)

Thoughts and sympathy are not enough in this situation. I do not believe we should have a defeatist attitude. We must save as many of these jobs as possible. The two issues that affect these types of businesses are the anti-investment policy of the Government, which is killing demand, and costs. The Government should send officials from the Department to look, first, at the top-heavy management structures in these businesses, second, at the fact there are upward-only rents on a trophy building which was bought by the company at the height of the boom in 2007, and, third, what can be done in regard to rates and energy costs which significantly affect the cost baseline of business. Those decisions are down to Government. If it acts on them, it has a chance of saving these jobs. If it does not, all we are hearing is platitudes.

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