Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

People in the midlands are still reeling from the shock news last week of these power plant closures. The Government has not handled the matter well or planned for the workers. The solid fuel carbon tax came into effect in 2013. From 2013 to 2018, it generated just under €100 million. Will that money be ring-fenced for the benefit of the communities and the workers affected by these closures? What they have been offered is a drop in the ocean. The Minister is repackaging previous announcements but nobody is buying it. We need a firm commitment that the workers will be looked after in the communities in question in Offaly, Longford and other affected counties in the midlands.

I have been contacted by several seasonal workers who stand to lose much money. They have not been given a fair redundancy package. Neither have other workers. As I said to the Minister earlier, it is not comparable with the packages received by their EU counterparts. Spanish workers in the same position are being offered a fairer package. It is not on. I will be raising this issue again.

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