Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, has research been done or are there any developments in that regard? Anderson Ireland in Rathkeale, where I am from, closed in 2014, and ProCad, a design company, has moved in to the area since then. Many of the workers in Anderson Ireland have retrained and found employment, which is very welcome.

Has any sort of analysis been done on the demographic of workers who may be affected by this? This goes back to something that I champion, having a background in recruitment. I refer to people trying to find sustainable employment after losing their jobs or being out of work for ten, 15 or 20 years. They may be trained in different skills but it can be difficult finding a job, particularly for those aged between 50 and 55. They often experience covert discrimination when looking for work. Has the Department looked at ways to combat that, with specific emphasis on traditional industries where people may be in jobs or roles for a large part of their career, through no fault of their own. They face difficulties afterwards and I know from my experience in recruitment that the problem is rife.