I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House to respond to this matter at such short notice. Job losses inevitably reflect on an entire community, particularly if they occur in a small community like my home town of Drumshanbo. Over the past 15 years that community has suffered significantly from job losses. The House may be surprised to learn that in an area which is perceived as predominantly rural and non-industrial, about 400 industrial jobs have been lost in the town and district of Drumshanbo since 1986. The catalogue of job losses makes sad reading and behind the statistics is the real story of heartbreak and economic ruin in some cases for parents and their children. Sadly, that is the by-product of this latest announcement.
Last Monday afternoon, the 50 or so staff of Leitrim Foods in Drumshanbo were called together by management to be informed that the plant would close and that they were being put on notice. There is hope that some aspects of the product line may continue to be produced or packed in the plant for a number of months, but that is only putting off the evil day.
My main reason for raising this matter was to take the opportunity of conveying to the families of those who have lost jobs my deepest sympathy on what must be a traumatic experience for them. Young and old have been involved in the plant which has a rather chequered history. It opened as a jam manufacturing plant in the 1980s owned by the Laird family to whom the town and district of Drumshanbo owe an enormous debt of gratitude as they were the main employers in the area for over 100 years. The difficult trading conditions in the jam market in the late 1980s resulted in the withdrawal of the Laird family from the plant and it was taken over by another organisation which continued trading until it found it almost impossible to continue. In the early 1990s, Leitrim Foods emerged as a company producing pasta and pasta sauces under the brand name of Cucina, which many people will be aware of in supermarkets and stores around the country. Unfortunately, difficult trading conditions over the past number of months and a subsequent loss of revenue meant that the company found its position untenable, hence the position we face today.
I ask the Minister, with whom the buck stops politically, to direct the Leitrim task force, which is already in operation, to take urgent steps to secure an alternative industry for the town. Ordinarily, I or someone else in this position would call on the relevant Minister to set up the task force but we are fortunate the task force is already in operation. It was set up following the closure of the Ballinamore Textiles factory, 12 miles from Drumshanbo, last year. I am not sure how wide the task force's remit is but I was present with the Tánaiste on the night she promised to set it up and my recollection – I hope the Minister of State can clarify this – is that its remit extended to the entire county rather than to Ballinamore specifically. If that is not the case, I ask that the remit be extended to encompass the job losses at Drumshanbo.
In light of the recent ESRI report which stated there was a real need for more regional industrial development, and the recent comments of Seán Dorgan of the IDA on a reorientation of IDA and Enterprise Ireland policy towards the regions, perhaps the Minister of State can give some hope to the people of Drumshanbo in his reply.
I could be very angry about this matter because it is such a well-trodden path for me. From the day I first came into this House in 1987 I have witnessed job losses in my home town and district. The Mattil shoe factory, which employed 200 people, closed in 1986 shortly before I became a Member of this House. That advance factory has not yet been reoccupied, although there are indications that will happen next month but with a greatly reduced workforce of approximately 15 to 20. Arigna Mines closed with the loss of 150 to 200 jobs. The Laird plant closed with the loss of 100 jobs and the worst blow was the closure of the ESB power station at Lough Allen with the loss of 60 jobs. How long more will this continue? How long more can the people among whom I live tolerate a situation whereby their sons and daughters must leave their county and country? How long more will the haemorrhage of emigration affect County Leitrim, which has the lowest population in Ireland? What hope can be given to those who watch daily reports in the newspapers of a rampant Celtic tiger when at the end of some week in the not too distant future no more money will be coming in to their households? Will the Celtic tiger put food on their table?
I could get very angry about this situation. However, all I can do as a representative in this House, living among the community in Drumshanbo, is to ask the political establishment not to wave a magic wand or produce miracles but at least to give some hope to the people who now face the loss of work.
