Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No matter what this Government goes on to do, it will always be remembered as the Government that did not see fit, for the first time in the history of the State, to appoint a senior Minister from the western region, from Donegal right down to Limerick. As somebody from the west, who lives in the west and would live in nowhere other than the west, I think this has been a huge mistake. In the days to come, the junior Ministers will be appointed and I am sure many of them will be from the western region. There will be an attempt to overcompensate in this regard. However, the damage has been done, and every Government is remembered for something.

I raise the issue of future of the Aptar factory in Ballinasloe. Last week, the company announced that it would review its future in Ballinasloe. This has, of course, caused great uncertainty for workers, their families and the community. This is their livelihood. I emailed the Tánaiste on this matter today, having emailed the previous Minister, Deputy Humphreys. Where there is a possibility these jobs can be saved, we need to get the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and officials from the Tánaiste's Department around the table. If there are supports there that Aptar can avail of to save these jobs, they need to be availed of.

I welcome the restart grants but I want to raise a number of concerns in relation to them. The first relates to the delays in certain local authorities. I have heard from a number of companies which have applied for the restart grant but have still not received it. I ask that the Department check in with local authorities and see where they are up to in relation to these grants.

The second issue concerns the sole traders which do not pay rates. They are not eligible for restart grants. I wrote to the former Minister, Deputy Humphreys, about this. Given that this is a small number in the grand scheme of things, I ask that this funding be extended to assist those sole traders trying to get back on their feet following the Covid emergency that put them out of business.

I welcome the trading online voucher under the local enterprise office but there are a number of delays there and a number of companies have contacted me to say they have not been able to get the funding from the local enterprise office. I welcome the fact restaurants, which were exempt at the start, are no longer exempt.

I appreciate this is more for the Minister for Finance, but I want to mention another issue briefly. A number of people are in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme who have not lost their income, not lost their job and not lost any hours at work. They had approval for mortgages and that approval has been taken off the table, albeit temporarily. These people's lives are now on hold. I have been contacted by one couple who had emigrated a while ago to Australia, who came home, who have a young family and who want to build their home. They had the approval and have had no change in their income but now that mortgage approval is on hold.

Finally, while the Cabinet will not be regionally balanced, job creation and investment must be balanced across our island. Towns in my constituency, from Ballinasloe to Ballaghaderreen to Strokestown, need investment and jobs. There are many people who want to live in the west of Ireland and many who would live nowhere else. We need to support those people and their families and make sure the west of Ireland is a viable place in which to live and work.

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