Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has described today's announcement of job losses at Waterford Crystal as a "body blow" for the region.
The Waterford TD said the Government was committed to finding new jobs for the 485 people made redundant today.
Senator Maurice Cummins, Fine Gael
He said he had held talks with Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, urging him to "mobilise all relevant State Agencies, particularly the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and FÁS to mount a strong effort to attract new investment to Dungarvan".
Mr Cullen also promised to speed up the proposed decentralisation of Ordnance Survey Ireland to Dungarvan.
Mr Martin said the Government's priority would be to "consolidate and underpin future manufacturing in Waterford for the next number of years and I think it's important that we do that and that the company do that."
Fine Gael Senator Maurice Cummins said the job cuts were "a devastating blow" to the area, which has seen a "haemorrhage" of job losses in the last year.
"The IDA and the Government have done sweet damn all for Waterford," he said. "Their only initiative for Dungarvan was to decentralise the Ordnance Survey of Ireland to Dungarvan, which has been shown up as a hollow promise."
According to Fine Gael Dungarvan TD John Deasy, the job cuts will be catastrophic for Dungarvan, where five per cent of the town's 8,000 residents were being made unemployed in one day.
He claimed the two Government TDs in Waterford - Mr Cullen and Fianna Fáil's Ollie Wilkinson - have "promised a great deal but who have yet to deliver for Dungarvan."
Labour TD Brian O'Shea said the news was "shocking" and said he would raise the issue in the Dáil with Mr Martin. "The effects of this black day for the Waterford constituency fully requires and deserve every assistance from the Government and relevant state agencies to dilute its effects and to move job creation forward urgently and effectively," he said.
