Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I ask that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, come to the House at the earliest opportunity to outline the Government's approach to today's announcement by Pfizer that it proposes to lay off staff in Newbridge, Dublin and, most particularly, Cork, involving the loss of 785 jobs, or approximately 15% of the company's workforce of 5,000. While we should be grateful for the way in which the announcement has been made in that the lay-offs are to occur over a period of 18 months to five years which gives us an opportunity to find replacement industry and provide for retraining and in which perhaps they may even be an upturn in the international sector which would allow some of the jobs to be retained, there is an onus on the Minister to come before the House to outline the Government's plans. While I appreciate that he is deeply involved in the public announcement today, I ask that he avail of the earliest possible opportunity to come before the House.