Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I will assist the Chair. When SR Technics lost its contract the relevant Ministers, my predecessor, the Minister for Transport and the Taoiseach were involved with the unions and SRT to facilitate the smaller contracts which were carried out. All of us in this House knew that arising from the loss of the large base maintenance contract that SRT would face huge difficulties. My agencies had been working with SRT and continue to do so. During the intervening period, arising from all of our concerns about the long-term viability of SRT after it lost the contract, my agencies worked with management. I met it on three occasions. The IDA was working with it until last Christmas to facilitate it in the reorientation of its business plan. This work arose on the basis of our concerns about the full-time viability of the company. I know Deputy Broughan is aware of this because the unions were a part of process.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of this year the company in Zurich decided that it would not continue with SRT and, as we all know, it decided to close the company. However, it is important to state that the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the team put together under my agencies are working continuously with a number of people who have a keen interest in taking on this company and those discussions are ongoing.

See this speech in context