John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter on the Adjournment and assure him of my concern about the matter. I know he has been working on this case for some time and his concern is evident.

I understand the company yesterday informed various employers and subcontractors that it intended to suspend all works on its projects for a period of two weeks owing to unforeseen factors encountered by it on its building sites, with the temporary loss of approximately 450 jobs. I am informed that it is involved in a number of contracts with Departments, including some school building and Health Service Executive projects. It has stated it is owed payment for building projects undertaken on behalf of the State and that it is experiencing cash flow problems due to difficulties in securing credit from its suppliers. Officials from my Department have been in contact with the Department of Education and Skills and I have been assured that all moneys due to be paid under the terms of the main contracts have been paid to the company.

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