Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

First, I would like to express my concern about the announcement in respect of Covidien which has operated in Athlone for 30 years. I understand the company is undertaking a transformation of its operations and that, as part of this, one of its basic products will transfer over the next two years to Thailand and it intends to offer a voluntary redundancy programme. It is too early for the company to state how many jobs will be impacted, as it is also looking at bringing in new products and technologies to the site, which will affect the final number.

The Deputy asked about the Government's employment strategy. Since the formation of the Government, 3,145 new jobs have been announced by the State agencies and another 525 in construction.

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