(Carlow-Kilkenny): Back in 1926, when the Irish Sugar Company found its feet in Carlow, the problem of unemployment was not very serious because we had other factories there at the time. Carlow had the image of a place that was well off as far as employment was concerned. Then we had the arrival of Braun and Lapple, two superb, efficient German-based companies, giving excellent employment to 1,500 workers in Carlow. They have been caught in the present recession, despite their efficiency, and we hope their predicament will be shortlived. However, the image abroad is that Carlow is a land flowing with milk and honey and that there is no such thing as unemployment there. The reality is that Carlow is floating at 2 per cent above the national figures for unemployment for the last 18 months. Indeed, in December 1992 we had the unwelcome distinction of having the highest unemployment in the southeast. That is something we do not want. Now we have Braun with 300 workers on short time, which I hope will be short term as well. We also have other factories which are on three-day weeks, plus the 110 job losses in Lapple, which is a very efficient company. All in all we are adding to our claim of having over 2 per cent above the national average for unemployment.
I did a calculation on some labour force figures and found that if I eliminated farmers and the self-employed, unemployment for insured workers must be somewhere around 30 per cent. The Chamber of Commerce, which is very active in Carlow, has been working very hard to get an enterprise centre where young businessmen could get established. I hope that when it comes to getting help from the Minister he will be very kind to them. Perhaps the Minister could direct some of the money from unemployment benefits to young people to enable them to serve their time as apprentices and learn the skills that will be useful to them in employment when things pick up again.
The losses in Digital were a major blow to Galway. We have every sympathy for the people of Galway and indeed for the workers who have lost very good jobs. However, we are flabbergasted that we have got only the charity of the Minister's silence in Carlow. No Minister has managed to rise to thinking that Carlow has a problem. Friends of mine down in Carlow have said that we did not get even false promises about Carlow. I hope the Minister will assure me that job losses in Carlow count in the Department. In the past I have been critical of the Minister's position, that in such an important section of Government he has been given the onerous task of reviving his own party. It is a pity that in a Department of such serious concern for the people of Ireland the Minister's loyalties are divided. I hope the Minister will have some good news for me and for Carlow.
