Sinn Féin Councillor Seán Crowe has called on the Government to urgently bring forward a strategy to tackle the haemorrhaging of jobs in Tallaght.

Councillor Crowe was speaking this week as it emerged that 400 jobs are at risk at the Citywest Hotel.

He said: “The Government must ensure that everything that can be done to save the jobs at Citywest Hotel is being done. If the jobs cannot be saved then there must be assistance for these and all the other unemployed people in Tallaght to find new jobs.

Sinn Féin Councillor Seán Crowe has said unemployment in Tallaght is spiralling out of control as new figures showed that only Limerick City, Cork City and Waterford have higher numbers of unemployed. Councillor Crowe said all the talk of emerging from recession means nothing unless the real issue of unemployment is addressed.

He said; “The Government must bring forward a credible jobs creation strategy. Unemployment in Tallaght is out of control with 10,662 people now signing on, an increase of 240 in the past month alone. If this rate of growth continues there will be 12,000 people unemployed in Tallaght by the end of the year. This cannot go unchallenged.

PROMINENT Fine Gael malcontent Brian Hayes has been challenged by a constituency rival to explain what has changed about Enda Kenny in 24 hours for him to earn the Tallaght TD’s support after Brian Hayes’s failed bid to sack him as leader.