Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing us raise this issue. As Deputy O'Mahony stated, Homecare Medical Supplies has, since 1988, been an excellent home-grown company, very well run by the McGuinness family. It will maintain 70 positions, but 50 will be lost in Kiltimagh and 15 will be lost in Ballyhaunis.

It is a massive blow to those areas. This is a company with a very proud and rooted tradition in east Mayo and one that has really grown with the community there.

For some time I have been raising my concern that companies such as this, whose interests are purely domestic and which may not be in the export market, are getting lost in the infrastructure of job support. I believe more support needs to be given to such companies. This relates specifically to a contract it has lost, and Deputy O'Mahony has also raised queries in this regard. We have to look at the way in which we do contracts in this country. While I know this is not an issue that comes under the Minister's specific remit, the Government is spending billions of euro and we have to look at how we are spending that money, if we are parcelling those contracts, in order that small Irish companies such as Homecare Medical can have the opportunity to create employment.

We need a very focused training initiative to move into east Mayo to assist the workers. While there are employment opportunities, workers may not have the skills to match those opportunities. If we move very quickly with the various new operations that are there, we can match up those people who have been made redundant. There are just over 12,000 people on the live register in County Mayo and we need to offer those people who want to work the chance to do so within the opportunities that exist.

I have spoken before about the work Mayo County Council is doing through the economic investment unit that has been established by the county manager within the county council. This has the potential to be the blueprint for local authority involvement nationwide. This is its first big challenge. I hope the Minister will give that unit the support that is necessary in order to support the communities of Kiltimagh, in particular, and Ballyhaunis, which have taken more than their fair share of the impact of the downturn in recent years.

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