Alan Kelly (Labour)

I had hoped the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, would reply to this matter as she is a fellow countywoman and constituency colleague of mine. This matter is as pertinent to her as it is to me. None the less, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, to the House.

This matter refers to the continuing job losses in the town of Thurles which effectively has become a blackspot in the middle of Ireland. What action will the Government and the State agencies take to secure replacement jobs for the town? Ever since the loss of the sugar factory in Thurles, it has been a case of repeated job losses. Jobs were lost in Barlow, BSN Medical, GMX and Erin Foods, and nearby localities have also suffered job losses. I refer to those in Proctor and Gamble in Nenagh. This is becoming a significant issue in the area and it is very demoralising for the people of Thurles in particular.

The people of the town are disheartened. They cannot commute to work because the town is not in a commuter zone, unlike other towns in the area. Thurles needs jobs that are based in the town or centred on the locality, but such jobs are on the decline. All the major industries have left and the replacement jobs which followed the closure of the sugar factory are gone. Erin Foods was the last employer to leave.

I have met the Erin Foods workers, many of whom worked for the company for decades. I am thinking of John O'Halloran, Josie O'Driscoll and Martin Ryan. I have met their representatives as well. I have deep sympathy for their plight and the situation in which they find themselves.

It must be acknowledged that part of the reason for their situation is an interpretation taken by the Competition Authority about the lines and brands being produced. This interpretation was viewed by many as draconian. The management, on the basis of this interpretation, decided to close the main lines produced by the factory and the factory was closed ultimately.

I have also met the chamber of commerce representatives. They said that despite the booming economy, Thurles has been losing jobs over the past ten years. It is of concern that the chamber of commerce does not see an end to this trend. It notes a lack of investment in job creation and is of the view that the incubation services on offer to small and medium enterprise development have been unsuccessful.

As for the work of State agencies in the mid-west, north Tipperary in particular, Shannon Development has done good work over many years. The role of the agency has changed, however, and we have been left in a vacuum owing to the changeover to Enterprise Ireland. Shannon Development is now a tourism agency and should be called Fáilte Ireland Shannon or Fáilte Ireland mid-west. This has created a vacuum in the development of the mid-west, north Tipperary in particular. Thurles is at the edge of north Tipperary which is at the very edge of the mid-west region, with the result that Shannon Development's zone has been omitted.

Two types of people exist in Thurles. One is the employees in the 40 to 50 years age bracket who have lost jobs but do not have the information and communications technology skills required to take up other positions. Jobs must be delivered for these workers. The other group is the younger people who have graduated from the Tipperary Institute and other local colleges and who are looking for jobs, especially in the technology area. The Government has failed to attract investment by the use of tax breaks for ICT and technology companies and this is having a detrimental impact on the area.

Furthermore, the lack of investment in broadband has had an impact because a number of small to medium sized enterprises have been unable or unwilling to locate in the town due to the lack of broadband infrastructure throughout the region. Effectively, Thurles is now a black spot for job creation. This is accepted by most people, including my colleagues in other parties.

What will be done about this issue? What real actions can take place? What are the real timelines and when will there be real jobs? I make this point with genuine sympathy for those who are affected. I do not wish to hear rhetoric and would rather hear a response on the record with which all could work together. I will publish the Minister of State's response and will bring it back to the workers in order that they can see what the Government intends to do for them.