Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to speak to the amendment. I welcome my colleague and friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Smith, to the House. This is my first time to address the House in the presence of the Minister of State. I wish him well in his role as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food. He was an excellent choice and the post was well deserved as he has been a very hard-working and dedicated Deputy from the time he was elected. It was an enormous boost to the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan to see Deputy Smith being promoted to the rank of Minister of State. I congratulate him and his wife Ann.

I am not as familiar as the previous speaker with the Carlow factory and with Greencore. Senator Phelan said it would be Carlow now and Mallow next. How could it be Mallow next when Greencore is prepared to spend some €20 million to €25 million on the upgrading and improvement of the Mallow plant?