Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Eugene Murphy for allowing Deputy Fitzmaurice and me to share his time. I bear the Minister of State no personal grudge but that response was completely inadequate. There is nothing specific in that response that relates to west Roscommon or east Mayo, the areas that are directly affected by the loss of these jobs. Knock Airport in east Mayo, which catered for 750,000 passengers last year, is completely underutilised as a base and asset for economic development. A very innovative food ingredient plant run by Aurivo in Ballaghaderreen has the potential to spawn more industry if focus is put on food and creating food jobs within Ballaghaderreen. We cannot keep ignoring the collapse in small towns. The ultimate irony is that Ballaghaderreen is the headquarters of the Western Development Commission whose outgoing chairman, former Fine Gael councillor Paddy McGuinness, declined to be reappointed because he called the Minister of State out, called the Government out and, more importantly, called permanent Government out for their complete lack of interest in and lip service to the challenges facing regional Ireland. We want the Minister of State to come to west Roscommon and east Mayo and, in terms of Roscommon, focus on west Roscommon. The growth he speaks about is going into the area around Monksland. It needs to be spread across the county. Similarly, the action plan for jobs in the west is a plan for Galway city and the rest of us are being left behind.

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