Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I said that the Government will be open to any constructive suggestions. It will consider them and follow a policy that is in the best interests of people living in the midlands. I do not want to get into an argument with the Deputy over where the 15,000 extra jobs have come from, but they are jobs in the midlands, not Dublin, which people in the midlands can drive to and work at. We are taking a series of measures, and have reinforced them in the recent budget, in terms of rural development and rural regeneration. That might involve the targeting of different rural towns with the rural regeneration fund or structural targeted money through Enterprise Ireland via local enterprise offices to make sure that jobs growth is not based solely in big cities but is spread across the midlands and other parts of rural Ireland as well. We will continue to strive for that. I accept that this is a challenge for the midlands. Bord na Móna has been a fantastic employer across multiple counties and will be in the future. Yesterday a voluntary redundancy programme was announced. Workers in Bord na Móna will have to make choices. They will, I hope, be offered generous packages. This is part of the transition towards a more sustainable future in terms of how we produce power in Ireland.

The Government will continue to work with its State companies where appropriate, but also directly with people who are affected by the choices they are being offered at the moment, to ensure that employment remains strong and continues to grow across the midlands.

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