Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As long we are getting the coverage, I will be happy. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing us to raise this matter. I will be sharing two minutes with Deputy Calleary and giving a minute of my time to the Minister. I mean I will be sharing a minute with Deputy Fitzmaurice. I thought he went into Government last February. My apologies.

The recent announcement of the closure of the Exclusive Cigar Manufacturers Ireland, ECMI, plant in Ballaghaderreen really did not come as a surprise to many people. A number of the staff have been saying that the writing has been on the wall for some time. I feel that, because it was known for some months that there could be difficulties, the Government should have been on the ball and monitoring this situation. If it was not able to save those jobs, perhaps it could have had something in place in order to ensure that employment would have been brought into Ballaghaderreen to replace those jobs that are being lost.

ECMI was established in Roscommon in 1978 and is one of the largest private employers in west Roscommon. That might surprise some people, but it is the case. The jobs involve a specific skill set and many who are being made redundant will likely have to leave their county to find similar work, and we all know that Dublin is busting at the seams. IDA Ireland has visited County Roscommon only once in 2017 and nearly half the year is gone. From the information I have received, its representatives also only visited once in 2016. Ballaghaderreen has been dealt several severe blows in recent years. Going back 12 or 14 years, we had the loss of the United Meat Packers, UMP, meat plant, but we have also lost a hotel and several businesses. The reality is that community in Ballaghaderreen reacted. It built many units which are there for jobs to go into, but the Government has not delivered. There is a huge amount of talk about balanced regional development in the programme for Government but it is not happening. I know I will have an opportunity to come back. I will hand over to Deputy Fitzmaurice for tamall beag.

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