The Ceann Comhairle is aware that Kilkenny city and county are both beautiful. Each day there is a vibrancy on the streets of Kilkenny city because of the presence of the many tourists who visit the area. The sounds of continental and American accents are a feature of everyday experience in our city. However, this image of Kilkenny often presents difficulties for local authorities, agencies and public representatives when they wish to make a strong case to the IDA or the Government for inward investment to the Kilkenny area. We are often confronted with the deep seated phrase used by national authorities in particular that "Kilkenny is a beautiful place and it is doing very well".
Kilkenny has one of the lowest bases of manufacturing employment in the country. At present, 2,575 people are registered as unemployed in Kilkenny city, 615 are registered in Thomastown and 516 in Callan. This provides clear evidence of the dire need to redress the balance and provide the employment opportunities for the people of Kilkenny that have been lacking for many years.
The area was bedevilled by the closure 18 years ago of Fieldcrest, which provided a major boost to manufacturing employment when it established in Kilkenny in the late 1970s. There were great expectations that up to 1,500 people would be employed there. However, when that American multinational pulled out of Kilkenny it dealt a serious blow to the economy and to people's work opportunities.
Kilkenny's local authority, its Chamber of Commerce and trade unions have actively sought to stem the tide in respect of manufacturing employment since that time. There has been some success in that the original Fieldcrest site of 14 acres has been broken up into various units which house good employers such as Kilkenny Textile Mills, Great West Life, Kilkenny People Printing, Irish Driver Harris and, a recent addition, NN Ball and Roller Inc., from the United States. These small manufacturing bases provide employment for approximately 1,000 people. However, as already stated, the figures clearly show that more must be done.
With other local public representatives, I was glad to play my part to ensure that the previous Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Deputy Richard Bruton, sanctioned the necessary finance in 1996 to fund a new IDA business park on the outskirts of Kilkenny city. The necessary registration in respect of this land has been completed and it was recently rezoned as industrial land by Kilkenny County Council. It is available for inspection by any inward investors who wish to establish a manufacturing base in Kilkenny.
I hope the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister of State at the Department, Deputy Treacy, will be able to lend their personal support to helping the IDA attract a major manufacturing industry to the Kilkenny area. In terms of employment, service industry alone cannot sustain itself into the future in any permanent way. Services can only be sustained from a strong manufacturing base. The lack of such a base in Kilkenny is giving rise to concern among people because the part-time employment available in the services and tourism industries is not sufficient to retain well educated young people in the area.
I appeal to the Minister of State to ensure that, in the run up to the 21st century, Kilkenny's new business park will be able to play an important role in developing much needed manufacturing employment for the area which will help sustain other employment in the services sector for the many people who depend on it. I look forward to his support in that regard and I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter.
