Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I accept the Minister of State's answer and that there has been low-cost dumping in Ireland and that this has greatly undermined flour milling in the country. However, there has also been a lack of investment in the Odlums mill and I hope this will not be replicated in Portarlington because then we would see the Portarlington flour mill close down.

One issue that concerns me is the recurring names that show up every time in respect of the closure of Irish Sugar, the closure of Jacob's and the transfer of all the brand names abroad. These names have surfaced again. Unfortunately, one such recurring name has been appointed to Bord Bia. There is a concern that we will be left with brand names only and no production. There will be Odlums flour in packages produced in Ireland. Most people who go into the supermarket and see a bag of sugar with the label "Sucra" believe it is manufactured here and people continue to believe that Jacob's biscuits are manufactured in Tallaght. More and more we are losing our brand names abroad and the Government should have concerns in this regard. We cannot continue to lose brand names without keeping the manufacturing plants here. I put it sincerely to the Minister of State that he should examine the names that crop up continually from Irish Sugar to Jacob's and through to the closure of this plant. There is a serious concern in this regard. I call on the Minister of State to take this on board and to investigate the matter further.

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