Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

We are discussing something that is happening now. It is proposed to hold an event in Malahide at which €850 will be charged to meet a Minister. These are the facts of the story.

Every Member of the House received a letter from the deputy general sector of the Communications Workers Union, Terry Delaney, regarding Vodafone's decision to relocate a significant number of jobs out of Dublin and Dundalk to Northern Ireland. I will be very careful to avoid a certain partitionist attitude because the jobs are not leaving the island of Ireland. Admittedly the decision will cause severe disruption but I hope there will not be too many job losses for those employed in Leopardstown and Dundalk. The jobs are not going to the other end of the world, which was the case in respect of previous Vodafone job relocations.

Although it is a private company, Vodafone makes a significant contribution to this country and a considerable number of Irish people hold its shares. I am one such shareholder, primarily as a result of the original sale of Telecom Éireann, which morphed into Vodafone. I ask the Leader to convey to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the serious concerns expressed by the Communications Workers Union about the impact of this decision on jobs and request that he intervene with Vodafone, at least to establish why it has been exporting jobs from this country not only to the North but also to India and Egypt over the past 12 to 18 months. Is it winding down its facilities in Ireland and will there be further job losses? I am more concerned about this than about the fact that the jobs are moving to the North of Ireland. They are only going a wee bit north.

I ask that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade make it a practice to come to the House on a more regular basis in light of the developing international situation. Over the past several days the Palestinian Prime Minister boycotted a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the continuation of peace talks. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority has gone on record as stating that the two-state solution involving the emergence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel was nearly finished or finished.