Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber and giving us a response this evening. The principal point is that the primary person with responsibility to his workers is Mr. Jack Ronan, as the major shareholder in Vita Cortex. Before any suggestion is made that the State should cover these costs, every stone should be turned over to make sure that he cannot avoid those costs. Regrettably, Mr. Ronan has restructured the company in such a fashion that the liability might not actually be realised. However, on the week the factory closed, a significant piece of machinery was moved from the plant in Cork to Athlone. It is still hard to establish how that machinery travelled up the road. I understand that the plant in Athlone is a separate company, but I do not know if an invoice or some charge was put on the transfer of that machinery. If that machinery was transferred to another plant, it means there is a cost arising from it. I believe the company wants to transfer more machinery up the road to Athlone as well. The moneys accrued from the transfer of that machinery can meet the cost of the redundancy payments. Any income that Mr. Ronan derives from stripping the plant on the Kinsale Road should be ring fenced.

I welcome the LRC's announcement today. The LRC should engage the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, because there are serious concerns regarding corporate governance in this country, and regarding employers' actions in the future that will enable them to avoid their payments in a similar manner to what Vita Cortex is currently doing.

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