Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill on extending the electorate for Seanad by-elections to members of local authorities brought forward by Senator Wilson. I did not previously have the opportunity to welcome Senator Cahill. I congratulate her on her election to the House. She will be a very important addition to the Seanad. Nonetheless, those of us who intend to seek re-election here will be going around the country very shortly to canvass county councillors. It seems that once they have a chance to elect one, they should also have an opportunity to fill vacancies as they arise. It should not be an exclusive function of Members of the Oireachtas. In saying that, I do not in any way denigrate anybody who has been elected under the old system. However, I believe Senator Wilson is on the right track.

I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, to come before the House to discuss industrial job creation in the mid-west, particularly along the Shannon Estuary. As Members will know, that estuary, apart from the one in Rotterdam, is probably the best natural deep harbour in Europe. It does not have any of the waiting times associated with the bigger European ports.I was a director of the port company for over 16 years and am very familiar with the attributes and assets of the Shannon Estuary. Some of the biggest industries in Ireland have located in the region such as Aughinish Alumina and the power stations at Moneypoint and Tarbert. Unfortunately, there have been serious disappointments of late. In the past five to six years in particular a number of major initiatives came to nought or appear to be coming to nought. Will the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation intervene and relaunch the Shannon Estuary task force which went out of existence about four or five years ago? It would timely, as we head into a general election and things are generally on the rise, that we would attract some of the major heavy industries that all of a sudden seem to want to congregate in Third World countries and eastern Europe. We should bring them to the west coast of Ireland which is a direct route to the Americas, is within easy access of all the European ports and does not have any of the complicated delay times and tidal problems that are associated with the more congested ports of Europe.