Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The most positive part of the Minister of State's contribution is missing from the script circulated and I ask him to arrange to have the full script circulated as soon as possible. I am very disappointed at what he has had to say because there seems to be an acceptance that it is a fait accompli without making any real effort to reverse the decisions the companies have made or are threatening to make at least. It has been presented as black and white, that the deal is done and the job is finished. If that is the case - perhaps it is - the Minister of State needs to expand on the efforts made to find alternatives, an issue on which he touched in the last part of his script which was not circulated. All of the agencies involved and, as Deputy Jack Wall stated repeatedly, the Minister need to be involved directly in finding alternatives. We cannot afford to lose what is a very special skills base in these two companies and this particular industry.

See this speech in context