Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is heartening to hear about the efforts being made by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland in Offaly and in the wider region. I am very interested in the pieces of research that are being conducted. I look forward to hearing what the manufacturing development forum identify as the skills that are needed for businesses in the future, because that will be critical in developing new training for people, and to encourage people into the type of courses at third level that will be required. I welcome this and I urge that the skills needs are identified as soon as possible.

The good news in all of this is that staff are being retained at the company in Birr. They will be working in the sales, marketing, distribution and steel fabrication sectors of the company. I hope the agencies there to support will help them examine what aspect of the steel fabrication business could be developed further to help grow that side of the business and to create further jobs where they are so badly needed.

I would also like to refer the Minister of State to the two other fantastic areas available for people to come and create employment, namely, the Birr Technology Centre and the Shannon Development sites, given that Shannon Development is now under the auspices of the Shannon Airport Authority. I am keen to find out what are the plans for that. Who will now be responsible for those sites, the fantastic facilities of which can be used to attract business or support local people to create businesses? It is a shame to see so much public money gone into development of these sites, particularly the Birr Technology Centre, if it is allowed to lie vacant when it could be used productively.

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