Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me raise this motion on the Adjournment. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kelleher, to the House. I hope he has good news for the people of Cork, which is becoming a severe unemployment black spot. It is an economic black spot as well.

The Cork region requires an economic stimulus and a programme of promotion by Government. Unemployment, as the Minister of State will be aware, has affected both the northside and southside of Cork city. Hormann Electronics, Tyco Sensormatic, Bourne Electronics and a host of other electronics companies have gone to the wall, not to mention the small building construction companies and ancillary service companies.

This needs clear Government action in a number of spheres, most importantly, on the development of the airport, on the provision of a car ferry and on the docklands. The docklands project is a major vehicle by which we can promote and encourage employment in Cork and which requires support for the eastern gateway bridge and other related activities. We also need support for the pharmaceutical industry which is the largest supplier in the Cork region.

I call for urgent action to stop the rising tide of unemployment in Cork. I refer to Cork because Cork is the capital of Ireland in my mind. It is the most important area, the primary area of the southern region. We need to help small and medium enterprises. The cost of doing business has risen exponentially. I hope we will encourage local authorities to keep down rates in the forthcoming budget and that we will not use local authority budgets to penalise small enterprises which are struggling. We need to tackle the issue of competitiveness and the cost of doing business in the Cork area. We must encourage people to employ and attract them to Cork. This can be done through the airport, the docklands and the ferry.

The jobless figure in Cork has increased by 56%, with 8,762 new people added to unemployment queues. Last week, the Minister of State was quoted on the front page of the Evening Echo with regard to unemployment, which had a vivid image of people queuing on Hanover Quay and over Clarke's Bridge. I know of somebody who joined the queue at the unemployment exchange at 9.45 a.m. today and did not leave until 12.45 p.m. There were no staff to cater for the demand of people. That is a separate issue but staffing at the unemployment office must be examined.

In October 2007 the number of people on the live register in Cork was 15,448 and that increased to 24,210 in October 2008. That is a soul-destroying figure which, as the Minister of State said last week, is affecting the ordinary citizens of Cork. We also have the issue of the length of time people are waiting for their applications to be processed and payment to be handed out. In Cork city, the number of people claiming the dole has increased by approximately 50% to 11,295. Carrigaline has seen an 86% increase. The Cork region is in crisis with regard to unemployment and needs Government action and a stimulus package. What will the Government tell us? What about retraining? The Minister of State has responsibility for FÁS which must come into the equation with regard to upskilling.

The Cork Economic Monitor published by Cork City Council mentions a marked slowdown in the Cork area. We need the region of Cork to be vibrant and attractive and one to which people come and are employed. We need to encourage people to establish business there and retain existing businesses. I do not want to be a prophet of doom and gloom but a 56.6% increase in unemployment, with an increase of 70.6% in those aged under 25 years of age, in 12 months paints a picture. Nationally, one person loses his or her job every three minutes. Recently we saw the largest monthly increase in history.

I hope the Minister of State has a response which will encourage an economic stimulus for Cork and that we will target young people, particularly those with limited work experience and those who are under pressure academically and who leave school not as qualified as they should be. We need initiatives to deal with unemployment in the Cork region urgently. Cork is a forgotten area. We see it in the flip-flop over the airport where we do not know whether it will remain independent. We have no ferry connection with England or France and we need that. We need the completion of the motorway to Dublin. The docklands is the vehicle by which we can encourage developers to enter through the eastern gateway bridge.

I congratulate the Minister of State on the birth of his son, Billy, and wish him and his good wife every success.