Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the Deputy's concern about the loss of any job but particularly the loss of a job in a town such as Carrick-on-Shannon in which MBNA had been such a major employer. A series of actions are being implemented by local and national bodies to source an alternative employer and find alternative employment for those impacted on by the MBNA redundancies which, unfortunately. took effect on 28 November. An interagency group led by Enterprise Ireland has been formed and its membership includes representatives of all the relevant State players. The group has met on a monthly basis and is providing for the taking of a co-ordinated approach to meeting the needs of the affected staff and ensuring all necessary steps are put in train to pursue an alternative investor. I have kept in regular contact with our agency representatives on the group.

The activities of the group include the following. Details of staff skills and the capabilities of the facility have been collated. IDA Ireland, with MBNA-Bank of America, has produced a marketing pack for potential investors. The global IDA Ireland team continues to market the MBNA facility to a range of potential investors through its network. Enterprise Ireland is marketing the facility to its client base. There has been a small number of preliminary inquiries about the facility, both from foreign-owned and Irish-owned businesses, but it is too early in the process to be specific about their potential.

The work of the inter-agency group will continue and IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland will work to market the MBNA facility to a range of potential investors and to respond to requests for information from potential interested parties.

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