Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

They are different relationships. The IDA is an investment agency of the State which seeks to work with companies to anticipate challenges they might meet and deal with them through updating of skills, research and development investment and other means of assistance that might strengthen them. It is routine for the IDA to make contact with companies and, where the possibility of restructuring comes to its attention, it will engage intensively with the company concerned. It is not for the IDA to seek to inform workers of impending changes, that is not its role. I understand the anxieties of workers in this situation but the issue of the company's communication with its workforce is different from the IDA's work with the company, which is ongoing and seeks to anticipate and, where possible, pre-empt changes. They are two different issues and the IDA is acting entirely appropriately. However, I appreciate the concerns of workers and I hope this review will serve to end their uncertainty as quickly as possible and allow them to contribute to a resolution.

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