Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I express the same sentiments as my fellow Seanadóirí who have spoken on this. Tara Mines is weighing heavily on the minds of everybody at present, especially in the area where I live in north-west County Meath, including towards Athboy and that catchment area around Navan. It is a serious concern that such a vast swathe of jobs is to be put on hold at once. We had that experience previously and it was not nice when it happened. I am curious, in that while the price of zincs, coppers and many associated metals has dropped and halved recently, it had been on some run for quite an extended time. Tara Mines made quite a lot of money over the past number of years. You cannot just take the good with the bad; you have to have a long-term plan. The management is not being fully honest in the way it is looking at its figures and running its operation. Senator Gavan also has made a couple of similar points in that regard. I press the Acting Leader to bring the issue of Tara Mines to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, including what extra things can be done to get it up and functioning again.