Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

10:30 am

Photo of Marc MacSharryMarc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

Can we have an immediate debate on the issue of Aviva? For more than two months now, my colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, has flagged this potential issue. I myself called for a task force to engage with all companies supported by Enterprise Ireland and the IDA throughout the country in order to anticipate any issues or difficulties they might have and to put forward help and suggestions to ensure their continuity here and the protection of jobs. This was clearly ignored. Our information outlines the fact that the Minister was informed last week - unfortunately workers had to read this on Twitter yesterday evening and in today's headlines - that up to 1,000 jobs would be lost at Aviva throughout the country. This is catastrophic news for those families, for Dublin city, Cork, Galway and the other parts of the country that will be affected. We needed to get in to do a pre-emptive strike and to engage with these companies to ensure they had adequate supports and that jobs were protected.

It is no consolation to the families involved and Ireland as a whole that this morning in Manchester, Ms Susan Helmont, the head of brand, will give a presentation entitled The Secret of our Success.

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