I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Treacy, to the House to listen to the raising of a very important matter in my constituency, that is, the announcement by GMX last week of the decision to close its Thurles plant with the loss of over 200 jobs after a period of ten years in the town. The Minister of State is possibly aware from media reports that the location of GMX in Thurles followed the devastating closure of the sugar factory and the need to generate employment in the area. Indeed, the coming to Thurles of that factory was very much welcomed.
While there have been rumours and indications in recent weeks that all was not well at the GMX plant, the announcement came like the announce ment of a death in the family. There is shock and trauma in Thurles not only because of the loss of jobs and the immediate difficulties faced by so many who worked there but also because there is a realisation in the towns of the midlands, including north Tipperary, of the immense difficulty of finding replacement industry when a factory such as GMX closes.
The people of Thurles will be well aware of the trauma faced by former workers in the Offray plant in Roscrea which closed around this time two years ago. Despite all the efforts of the IDA and Shannon Development there has been no success in finding a replacement for that plant and there is not great optimism in Thurles that there will be positive news in relation to GMX either. What has happened in Roscrea, and is expected to happen in Thurles, is a dispersal of the workforce and I do not have to spell out the implications for the local economy of a town of this size, both socially and financially, when a major employer closes down.
A number of proposals have been made and we, the members of the local authority, discussed them on Monday of this week. There is a need to establish a task force with teeth, with a clear focus of intent and the clear objective to go where necessary to find and attract a replacement industry. There is also need for recognition that Thurles, Roscrea and all the towns of north Tipperary, which are currently included in the southern and eastern region for the purposes of regional status, correctly belong in the BMW region. It is that region which will receive tax incentives or supports necessary to maintain employment and meet disadvantage. In relation to our economic status and per capita wealth, it would be more correct to place north Tipperary with the Counties of Offaly and Laois. We are very concerned that the inclusion of north Tipperary in the southern and eastern region will work to our disadvantage in attracting new investment.
It is extraordinary that despite the unprecedented level of inward investment and employment growth, we are not seeing the benefits in our county. Expansion and inward investment are not taking place and we are left vulnerable when the winds of globalisation blow and factories like GMX and Offray suffer.
We hope that this is not a disease which will spread further. We want to see the establishment of the task force outlined and recognition that Thurles is a hub, considering the location of a third level college there, the Tipperary Institute, the availability of state-of-the-art broadband technology, its situation on the country's main railway line and the availability of a workforce. We want to know that the Government is taking seriously the difficulties faced by the towns of north Tipperary, particularly Roscrea and Thurles. We want to know that there is a definitive timescale in place. We also want to know if it is the Minister's intention to visit the town to hear from the people and to roll out an objective set of tasks and a legitimate plan to restore Thurles to economic health and optimism to the area.
