Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last February I raised the issue of the postponement of a proposed major expansion by Eli Lilly in Kinsale on foot of the election of Donald Trump as US President.This was a grave concern for many people in my part of the world who did not know where the €200 million project was going to be located. The way the Trump Administration was carrying on in the United States had put the project, known as IE43 because it is Eli Lilly's 43rd expansion of its Kinsale plant since 1976, in doubt. I welcome the news that has broken that the €200 million project will now go ahead. It is a significant boost for the local community in Kinsale. One of the key factors to bear in mind with regard to this entity is that Cork has a great name in the pharmaceutical industry which is one of the key drivers of companies such as Eli Lilly. I welcome its decision to move ahead with this huge project. It will have a state-of-the-art premises when the project is completed in the coming months, which is positive news.

I agree with some of the points made by Senator Grace O'Sullivan about the burning that is happening. We have an issue in that regard. There are major fires in many parts of my county. As the Cathaoirleach knows well, places such as Gougane Barra were destroyed by huge gorse fires in recent weeks. We need to look at the implementation of the legislation in place, of which training is a key part. We have to ensure those who are actively involved in burning at appropriate times of the year when it is allowed are properly trained. I was speaking to people about the issue last night and the lack of training is an issue. The Department with responsibility for wildlife has to look at this and other issues to ensure training at this level is provided for locals. Exceptionally good training is required in order to be involved in activities such as this.