Adjournment Debate.

Accident and Emergency Services.

Mr. Howlin

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for affording me the opportunity to raise this extremely important issue for my constituency and for the people of Wexford. This is more than just an issue, it is an ongoing saga. Overcrowding in Wexford General Hospital has caused enormous frustration, anxiety and concern for the population of Wexford, which is 120,000 people, and the greater hinterland that depends on the hospital's services.

The Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, knows that this saga has been going on for years. Particularly in the past six months, we have seen extraordinary overcrowding with more than 30 patients regularly on trolleys in the accident and emergency unit. On occasion, the accident and emergency unit has closed with ambulances being diverted to Waterford Regional Hospital. On one occasion, to my knowledge, ambulances were sent further afield when Waterford could not accept the diverted patients.

For the Minister of State's information, Waterford city is almost an hour's drive from Wexford town, and much further — up to 90 minutes drive — from parts of County Wexford. This is a critical consideration in accident and emergency cases.

The Department of Health and Children has understood this crisis for a long time. There is an agreement that Wexford General Hospital needs at least 40 additional beds. Some three years ago, it was agreed that because of the urgent nature of the case, 19 beds would be fast tracked. That was to have been done immediately. The sanction for those 19 beds was given in April 2004 by the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. Unfortunately, however, since then not one jot of progress has been made.

The people of Wexford have vented their annoyance, anger and frustration in many ways. In February this year, 1,500 people attended a mass meeting in the main street of Wexford town to underscore public concern on this matter.

I want to make clear to the Minister of State what is required now. While the fast-tracked 19 beds are almost a sop, we want them now. We also want the balance of the 40 beds to be planned and sanctioned. We want a new out-patients' department to free up the space currently occupied by out patients to expand the accident and emergency unit so there will be an adequate accident and emergency service in the hospital.

I understand that, yesterday, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, announced a capital allocation. I saw a statement by the Health Service Executive today saying that Wexford General Hospital was on the list of hospitals to be funded under the €2 million to €20 million category. The people of Wexford want absolute clarity on this matter. They have waited well beyond the level of endurance, as have the staff of the hospital who have provided a service above and beyond the call of duty against insurmountable odds on occasion, particularly in the past 12 months. Clarity is required on this issue. I appeal to the Minister of State not to provide vague generalities but to be specific. When will the capital programme commence to build the 19 beds? When will the balance of the 40 beds be provided? Will the money be provided for a new outpatients' department to allow an adequate accident and emergency service to be provided in the space currently occupied by outpatients? By any criteria and objective analysis, Wexford General Hospital is a major hospital that should be able to provide a decent service to the 120,000 people of the county, in addition to the large number of visitors to the area during the summer season.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O’Malley)

I thank Deputy Howlin for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I am taking the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The debate relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Responsibility for the provision of services at Wexford General Hospital now rests with the executive.

The Department of Health and Children is aware of the pressures experienced at Wexford General Hospital. There was an increase of approximately 9% in attendances at the hospital's accident and emergency department between 2001 and 2002, a further increase of 9% between 2002 and 2003, and a 6% increase between 2003 and 2004. Overall admissions to the hospital increased up to 2004.

Capital funding for the health service is now largely provided through the HSE in line with the capital investment framework 2005-09. This amounts to €564 million in 2005, of which in excess of €250 million will be directed towards the acute sector.

Earlier today, the Tánaiste announced to the House that she has written to the HSE to convey her agreement to allow for the progression of its capital programme in 2005. The construction of an additional 19 beds at Wexford General Hospital is included in the projects approved under the current capital investment framework.

Mr. Howlin

What about the accident and emergency unit and the outpatients' department?

Mr. T. O’Malley

It is now a matter for the HSE to progress its capital programme as a quickly as possible. The Department will continue to support the executive in its efforts to improve the delivery of accident and emergency services generally and at Wexford General Hospital.

I do not accept the Deputy's contention that there is an ongoing crisis at Wexford General Hospital. There are strains and pressures, and from time to time patients have been awaiting admission to the accident and emergency department, but not on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Howlin

That is not true.

Mr. T. O’Malley

We have examined the figures and that is what we found.

Mr. Howlin

The Minister of State should come and talk to the staff.

Mr. T. O’Malley

The additional capacity will undoubtedly alleviate service issues generally at Wexford General Hospital. In the meantime, the results of the audit of processes to be undertaken in ten hospitals nationally this summer can also be applied to hospitals like Wexford General Hospital to improve services to patients in accident and emergency departments.

The Tánaiste's ten-point plan has been endorsed by the IMO. Provision of additional capacity within the health services has comprehensive support and we are taking a full-systems approach to addressing the service issues in accident and emergency departments.

Hospital Investigations.

Mr. Gogarty

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter with the Tánaiste via the Minister of State. Rita Nolan was a normal young woman who fell ill shortly after marrying her husband John. The personality disorder from which she suffered made her life difficult. As her condition deteriorated she became an increasing danger to herself and others, and she had to be hospitalised on a semi-permanent basis. This situation was obviously stressful for Rita and her family. That she was an intelligent woman who was lucid for much of the time made her experience even more upsetting and placed an enormous burden on her husband John and their two young sons.

This stress was nothing, however, compared to the shock and upset caused by Rita's untimely death in St. Brendan's Hospital last year. Rita Nolan died from an infection in her oesophagus caused by having swallowed the broken top of a coat-hanger two days previously. An inquest into the circumstances surrounding her tragic passing recorded a verdict by misadventure. Although my medical knowledge is limited, I understand that this term is used to describe a situation where the full facts cannot be ascertained, such as verdicts concerning drowning, vomit inhalation, alcohol poisoning and other deaths whose causes are inconclusive. Rita Nolan's case warrants further investigation. Under the Coroners Act 1962, the coroner has the right to summon a medical practitioner to attend an inquest. However, he cannot summon a second doctor unless expressly requested by a majority of a jury, if they are not satisfied with the cause of death. One doctor can explain the cause of death, but it takes all doctors involved to provide a full picture of the circumstances surrounding a death. The two other doctors involved in monitoring Rita did not turn up. Instead, the hospital stuck to the letter of the law and brought its solicitor along to cover its backside.

We are still awaiting the introduction of the new Coroners Bill, which will provide for increased sanctions for people who refuse to co-operate with the proper conduct of an inquest and will end the restriction on the number of medical and other witnesses that can be called. I await this with great eagerness.

In Rita's case and under the existing legislation, only one doctor could be called. In this case the doctor on duty on Thursday, 8 April testified that after Rita broke the piece of a coat hanger and swallowed it, he got a torch and a pair of gloves and removed the item. He asked how she was and she replied fine. The next day she complained of throat pain and was administered Panadol by another doctor. No other examination seems to have taken place.

This was Friday, 9 April. The next day she became increasingly distressed and was administered antibiotics by yet another doctor. She died at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. The abscess on her throat caused her to choke to death. The autopsy simply stated that a foreign object punctured her oesophagus and it got infected. However, this does not tell the whole story. The coroner was as critical of the hospital in his report as he could be. He was so critical that we need to find out more.

What needs to be investigated is the information passed between consultants and the procedures and practices in operation at St. Brendan's. Given that Rita had been involved in previous swallowing incidents, including a situation where she swallowed a spoon, which required removal by surgery in a general hospital, would it not have made sense, for example, for a note to be left from one doctor to another. No-one knows if such a note exists, at least nobody concerned with the inquest. Why, for example, was a follow-up X-ray not carried out, given Rita's case history? Her family believes that she would still be alive today if an X-ray had been taken.

Were any special monitoring instructions given in Rita's case? What exactly happened in terms of follow-up? If someone swallowed a coat hanger, surely some follow-up was needed. Where were the checks and balances? As it was a psychiatric doctor who attended her, what basic medical training did he and others dealing with her have?

It could well be that nothing untoward happened and that every procedure was carried out properly, or it could be that an unfortunate overworked member or members of staff, or the policy makers in hospital management, are collectively guilty of negligence leading to Rita's death. The family only wants the truth, but the information provided by St. Brendan's has been sparse to date. Only give out what you must seems to be the message that went out. The first time the family had any personal contact from St. Brendan's was a mumbled condolence at the inquest. The family seeks the truth and deserves better.

Both Rita's family and I as a public representative have nothing but the highest regard for staff in St. Brendan's and all health care staff who work long and dedicated hours in sometimes trying conditions within our creaking health care service. However, we want the truth. What exactly happened? Was it in line with normal practice and was normal practice good enough? Rita has moved on, but her family cannot move on until all the facts of this case are revealed. I urge the Minister of State and the Tánaiste to use their good offices and order a full investigation into all the facts surrounding Rita Nolan's untimely death.

Mr. T. O’Malley

I thank Deputy Gogarty for raising this matter on the Adjournment. The case to which the Deputy referred is a tragic one and I extend my condolences to the family concerned. Every death of a patient is most regrettable.

It would be inappropriate for me to comment in detail on any individual case. However, I am aware that, in line with standard practice, the clinical director of St. Brendan's Hospital submitted a report on the circumstances surrounding the death to which Deputy Gogarty referred to the inspector of mental health services. In May 2004 the Mental Health Commission considered this report, dated 27 April 2004. The commission informed my Department that it intends to review the circumstances of this death now that the inquest has been completed.

The Mental Health Commission is an independent statutory body established under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 2001. One of the statutory functions of the commission is to promote and foster high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services. Towards this end, the commission is currently developing a quality framework for the delivery of our mental health services. This framework includes the development of standards for mental health care, clinical governance and codes of practice. The inspections by the inspectorate of mental health services provide for the ongoing monitoring of such policies and standards by the Mental Health Commission.

Mr. Gogarty

Will the Minister indicate the timeframe for such a review and when a report will be made available?

Mr. T. O’Malley

The inspector and the commission will analyse the case. There is no timeframe, but they will do it quickly. As the Deputy is aware, the statutory inspector appointed by the Mental Health Commission, Dr. Teresa Carey, will put her first report before the Oireachtas shortly, probably before the end of this month. Whether she will report on this death is up to her. She is independent and I will receive the report the same time as it is laid before the House. I presume she will inspect this case quickly as possible. I will relay the Deputy's concerns about this case to her.

Mobile Telephony.

Mr. Perry

I thank the Minister of State for attending this evening to take this important issue of the proposed mobile phone mast which is to be erected on the pension services offices in Sligo city. I am among many from Sligo city and county who object to this mast.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs rents the pension services building and the 300 to 400 employees who work in it are strongly against the proposal. The building also houses a crèche and Summerhill College and several housing estates are in close proximity to the building. The mast is to be erected as part of a nation-wide roll-out deal the OPW has done with a mobile phone company.

People in the area are very angry and annoyed by the manner in which this mast has been proposed, and by the lack of consultation with locals and those working in the area. In particular, the lack of consultation astonished the staff of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. They were given very short notice of the proposed erection of the mast.

There are possible serious health implications from this proposal. It is unfortunate that the OPW can only see euro signs flashing, instead of showing concern for the health of the State's population. It has shown no regard for the level of concern or the annoyance of the people about the proposal. The OPW has suggested that the area would be monitored prior to the mast being erected and that it would also be assessed after the mast has been in place and that if there was a problem, the mast would be removed. This was the message relayed to staff and is an extraordinary proposal. This is not good enough.

People's concerns have nothing to do with monitoring the mast. This is quite simply the wrong spot for it. I am particularly disappointed by the OPW. We are not looking for reasons to put this mast on this building. We have definite reasons it should not go up on the building. If the OPW appreciated the civil servants working in the adjoining areas, it would take their concerns on board. Health implications from such masts have been well documented and it is ridiculous to suggest this building is a suitable location for the mast.

The OPW seems to have little regard for public finances. In today's newspapers we read how it has miscalculated costs and abused taxpayers' money. Does it suggest that we should put the mast up, forgive the huge expense involved and risk serious damage to health, only to take it back down again in a matter of weeks? That is the current proposal, but it does not stand up to examination and lacks credibility. As we all know, the OPW has not got a great track record when it comes to putting the State first. The Committee of Public Accounts, which I chaired up until recent months, today gave the tally of OPW blunders and miscalculations involving taxpayers moneys.

These figures are staggering. The waste of taxpayers' money is simply disgraceful. The OPW has made it obvious that it cannot be trusted to take important decisions. While the OPW has made progress, it is clear that it is still keen to get a quick buck. When one considers that it spent €19 million on unused accommodation for asylum seekers, one can appreciate the OPW's justification for seeking rent from mobile telephone companies.

When the OPW acquired an office for the probation and welfare service in a shopping centre in Dublin, it agreed to pay rent of €150,000 per annum. That amounted to €11.50 per square foot, which was almost double the going rate. The OPW spent a further €1.5 million, or ten times the original estimate, on fitting out the office, which stayed empty for three years. I suggest that such examples are akin to something from a television comedy were it not for the fact that they are terribly tragic rather than funny.

The OPW is responsible for signing the contract to install the mast on the pension service office in Sligo. It is understandable that locals have voiced their opposition to the location of the mast, especially when one considers the track record and credibility of the OPW. I would like the exact details of the level of income that will be received as rent by the OPW from the mobile telephone company in question. Given that the OPW has constantly shown a lack of common sense and demonstrated utter recklessness with taxpayers' money, I understand the annoyance of local people. I would like details of the contract the OPW has agreed with the mobile telephone company so that I can gather full knowledge of why it is so keen to pursue this deal.

It is unthinkable that the OPW is considering the installation of the mast without proper consultation with locals. The proposal is distressing for the hundreds of staff employed in the office, who have held a public meeting about the matter. There is a clear level of dissatisfaction with the unions. I appeal to the Minister of State to take note of the frustration in this regard. When one is investing money, one must remember that one's staff are one's key allies. I refer in this instance to highly competent civil servants who are frustrated and annoyed by the lack of consideration being given to their concerns.

The proposed location of the mast is unsuitable. I ask the Government to reconsider the deal that has been reached. The decision to erect the mast must be reversed in light of the total objection to it in Sligo. I hope the Minister of State will give me some positive news this evening. Given that our economy is booming and the Government has millions of euro to spend, I refuse to believe that the Exchequer needs the small amount of rent that will be received from the mast. It is possible that the additional funds which will accrue to the OPW will be misused and misappropriated as they have been in the past.

Mr. T. O’Malley

The Office of Public Works has direct responsibility for the management of the State's property portfolio. One of its objectives is to ensure that the property portfolio is used in an optimum way in the interests of the State and the taxpayer. In that context, the OPW is trying to extract maximum value from the State's property assets. That involves the granting of licences to telecommunications companies to install communications equipment on a range of State properties in return for an agreed level of fees.

A standard licence agreement has been agreed on foot of negotiations with telecommunications companies. The licence agreement sets out the terms and conditions under which such companies will be allowed to install equipment on State properties. A mobile telephone operator that is granted such a licence will be required to comply with the relevant Health and Safety Acts, operate within current standards and EU regulations and adhere to guidelines on exposure limits to emissions issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, ICNIRP. The compliance with health and safety legislation that is required under the licence agreement also applies to future relevant legislation and regulation and the ICNIRP guidelines. Consultants appointed by the OPW will conduct checks on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance with the standards. Licensees will be required to comply fully with normal planning regulations.

The OPW signed a licence agreement with a mobile telephone operator, Vodafone Ireland Limited, on 13 April 2005 for the erection of mobile communication antenna on the State-owned pensions services office at College Road, Sligo. The OPW-appointed telecommunications consultants, Vilicom, have met representatives of the staff of the pensions services office. It has been agreed that emissions readings will be taken before and after installation of the new communication equipment as part of the monitoring process, to ensure that the relevant standards are maintained. I assure the Deputy that the strict framework for the installation of telecommunications equipment on the pensions services office building at College Road, Sligo, will be fully respected.

Job Creation.

Mr. N. O’Keeffe

I am sure the matter I propose to discuss on the Adjournment is of concern to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin. He does not need to be worried, but the food division of Enterprise Ireland will feel embarrassed when I tell my story. The Minister visited Mitchelstown, which has been devastated by the stroke of one man, Mr. Jerry Henchy, last year and again yesterday. Mr. Henchy has destroyed the cheese and bacon industries in Mitchelstown, which is the home of good cheese. It has been known throughout the world since the 1930s for its developments and activities in the cheese sector.

The Minister announced during his visit to Mitchelstown yesterday that Dairygold proposes to develop a research and development centre there. The proposed centre might not help to solve the town's problems. I am 62 years of age and even though I might spend another seven or ten years in the House, I am sure I will never see the fruits of the €15.6 million that is being invested in the research and development centre. Many organisations throughout the country are engaged in an ongoing process of research and development.

Enterprise Ireland has many questions to answer. Its food division recommended the closure of the slaughter facility at Galtee Foods and the transfer of the slaughter operation to Glanbia in County Kilkenny. While there is nothing wrong with Glanbia as an organisation, it has not been in the packing business and does not have a brand to compare with Dairygold's Galtee Meats brand, which is well known in this country and Britain. Ideally, the same company that rears pigs and poultry packs them and sells them to the consumer. In such circumstances, consumers can enjoy guarantees of traceability and quality. Danish Crown, a major processing company in Denmark, has a number of secondary packing operations. The Hormel Foods Corporation is involved in the exact same business in the United States. A co-op in Spain is involved in its own branding, slaughtering and traceability. That is the way forward for all industries in the food sector.

Dairygold is known as a commodity buyer throughout the world, whereas Glanbia is known as a commodity seller. Dairygold has no fresh product. There are secondary processors in Denmark, as I have said. They are involved in the slaughterhouses in that country. The two secondary processors in Ireland — Kerry Group and Galtee Meats — are buying product throughout the world. Although Irish pigs are the cheapest in Europe, if not the world, Kerry Group and Galtee Foods prefer to buy cheaper cuts and inferior product from other areas.

The hog industry in the US kills and packs its produce on site because it understands that consumers want freshness. The research and development sector of Enterprise Ireland should have examined the feasibility of such a system in this country before it recommended the closure of the slaughter operation at Galtee Foods and the doubling of the line in Glanbia. It should have doubled the level of output at Galtee Foods because that company enjoyed a significant share of the consumer market.

Enterprise Ireland has almost destroyed the Irish pig industry, which is in crisis. It does not have enough pig-slaughtering facilities, as I said, and it does not have enough markets for the commodities it is producing. The problems in the sugar beet industry, which we have discussed on many occasions, are found throughout the world as a result of the actions of organisations like WTO and arrangements like GATT. The problems in the Irish pig sector have arisen because the industry has been destroyed by Enterprise Ireland, which is a State agency. No grant aid should be paid to secondary processors. All grant aid should be channelled to Glanbia so that it can establish a brand, based on the fresh product in its factory, that is recognised by the housewife. It needs to be able to go right to the marketplace.

I ask the Minister to make a decision to disband the food section of Enterprise Ireland, which is going nowhere, before it destroys the Irish food industry. The food division does not know what it is doing because if it had conducted a feasibility study or a market survey, it would have found out quite easily that it was going in the wrong direction. Moy Park is in the poultry business in Northern Ireland. That company has its own growers, markets and brands and it is not a secondary processor. The same has happened to the poultry industry in southern Ireland. I am a member of a Government and a party, which believe in employment and good farming practices, but that cannot happen where agencies are out to destroy what we are trying to do.

I am totally annoyed, disgruntled and upset by what has happened to Dairygold in my town and in Mallow by a chief executive, Jerry Henchy, who digs holes every day with jackboot tactics, subjecting his employees to a procedure that has never been seen on the island of Ireland. It is time this was stopped. The company has employed a manager who would shoot the wounded to get rid of them. These are the tactics being used against my constituents. This is the first time I have made such an outburst. I want this corrected and I want this behaviour towards the employees of the company to stop. I also want the policy of spending taxpayers' money on research and development to stop because it is being spent foolishly.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. Martin)

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of providing replacement jobs in Mitchelstown, County Cork. I have visited Mitchelstown on a number of occasions since I took up office to assist the town and its hinterland in its economic future and in creating new opportunities for its people by providing jobs in a diverse range of sectors.

Enterprise Ireland's principal remit is to assist the development of Irish companies in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. The agency cannot provide jobs but rather can help companies grow by providing funding and advice. It provides this through its business development model, which helps to ensure all business functions of a client are addressed. A company is unlikely to succeed unless it has strength in marketing, research and development, finance, business strategy, production and human resources. El's offer is demand driven in that clients apply to the agency for assistance. The agency cannot push solutions on to clients; the relationship is a partnership, which seeks to accommodate the best interests of the client and the State.

Enterprise Ireland is also seeking to improve its work with clients. In May, EI's new strategy, entitled Transforming Irish Industry, was launched. The strategy is focused on implementing the recommendations of the enterprise strategy group to accelerate the development and internationalisation of Irish-owned business in the manufacturing sector and internationally traded services sector. A new productivity improvement fund, which will be managed by Enterprise Ireland, was also launched. Over the next 18 months, the fund will make available up to €17 million to eligible SME clients to enable companies adopt advanced technology and focus on skill developments to improve their competitive position.

Enterprise Ireland continues to work with companies in its portfolio in County Cork and in the south-west region to assist them expand their sales and exports and improve innovation so that they can compete on world markets. With regard to job creation, the agency's activity is focused on the creation of new jobs through supporting entrepreneurs setting up new high potential start-up companies, the retention and creation of new jobs in existing companies and enhancing the innovation capability of Ireland at a national and regional level through support of research in companies and third level institutions.

In 2004 Enterprise Ireland invested more than €9 million in its client companies in County Cork, of which €1.53 million, an increase from €750,000 in 2003, was for client companies in the Cork east area. This investment was primarily in support of new business employment, research and development, capital investment and staff training. Enterprise Ireland payments to companies in County Cork for 2004 amounted to €5.57 million, of which €500,000 went to companies in the east Cork area. EI works with just under 750 client companies in County Cork, which, according to the Forfás Annual Employment Survey 2004, employ a total of 19,617 people. This reflects an increase of 122 jobs on the 2003 figure. As part of its role in regional development, Enterprise Ireland's regional office in Cork works with other regional organisations and agencies in the county to develop the business infrastructure and to influence the conditions in which organic growth in the region is established and sustained.

Enterprise Ireland works on an ongoing basis with Ballyhoura Development Group. Funding was provided for the group for a food enterprise centre on the industrial estate in Mitchelstown under the community enterprise centre scheme 2002. Ballyhoura Development Group obtained approval for this new food business incubator to be co-funded through the business expansion scheme in December 2004 and the project is at planning stage. A major study is also being conducted in the Mitchelstown area to chart the way forward socially and economically for the town and Enterprise Ireland has supported that initiative.

Yesterday I announced the establishment by Dairygold Co-operative of a dedicated €15 million research and development facility in Mitchelstown. The bulk of the funding will be provided by Dairygold and significant funding amounting to €4 million will be advanced by Enterprise Ireland, which will focus on functional food research and the development of new products for the consumer foods sector. This will be a significant multi-billion euro sector going forward. This proposal represents a major step in the company's research and development capability, helping it to reduce its dependence on commodity products. It will greatly assist the company in its objective of becoming a leading producer of higher margin, added value, chilled food projects and functional food and ingredients.

The research and development facility will lead to the creation of high quality employment for 15 graduates in food sciences, three of which will be to PhD level, with the remaining 12 to masters and BSc levels. The development will double Dairygold's research and development staff from 15 to 30. Ultimately, the centre will have capacity for a total of 50 personnel. It is expected this will be reached post-2007. The new centre will incorporate a highly specialised pilot plant facility. The aim is to ensure the maximum potential is derived from applied research both in terms of new business establishment and technology transfer. This will be facilitated through Enterprise Ireland's links with third level institutions and industry, including Moorepark in Fermoy.

As a result of Enterprise Ireland investment in research and development in the Kepak plant in Watergrasshill, on 13 June 2005 I announced the company's plans for a major expansion into heat and serve added value range of meat products. This includes beef, pork, chicken, lamb and turkey and is targeted at the food service and retail markets. The proposed €25 million funding includes fixed asset investment as well as marketing, research and development and HRD investment. The planned investment will result in an increase in sales of €55 million and employment by 155, bringing the total projected jobs on site to 450.

I will address the issues raised by the Deputy with Enterprise Ireland. However, investment in research and development is the key for the future success not only of the food industry but of the economy generally. The number of value added products must be increased. Whatever are the issues regarding other sectors of Dairygold or decisions made by the company, they should not be used to attack a bona fide and interesting development in investment in research and development at the plant.

Mr. N. O’Keeffe

That organisation has wrecked the pig industry and it does not know where it is going.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.35 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 June 2005.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Tuesday, 21 Jun 2005