John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Clearly, my thoughts are with the workers and families affected by the announcement. I hope that all employment rights will be adhered to if it comes to the closure or sale of the studios.

The sale of Ardmore Studios is a commercial decision by the owners of the studios. In this regard, Enterprise Ireland only has a minority stake in Ardmore Studios, which is a legacy issue as a result of an equity investment and a loan by NADCORP, a predecessor State agency. The balance is owned by a company that is owned by its shareholders. This means that the Government holds only a minority share. It is worth noting that a significant part of the site being sold is zoned for film production purposes only. This is the information that we received recently.

Enterprise Ireland supports certain types of companies in the creative sector in areas such as animation and digital content. It provides these companies with a range of supports appropriate to their stage of business and is committed to supporting them to internationalise.

Today, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, concluded a two-day Enterprise Ireland trade visit to Cannes and the Cote d'Azur region of France. Twenty-three Irish companies were represented and travelled to France to build business relationships with their current and prospective counterparts in four key sectors in the region. Seventeen companies from the Irish film sector were part of this group and included companies such as Soho Moon, Bandit Films, Irish TV and Treehouse Republic. Building on its commitment to this sector, Enterprise Ireland was supportive of the establishment of Animation Ireland, a trade association for the leading Irish animation studios working together to promote Ireland's world class sector internationally.

Wicklow has been home to Ardmore Studios since 1958 and the recent establishment of another state-of-the-art studio, Ashford Studios, demonstrates the region's suitability as hub for the indigenous and international film industry. The regional presence of the Wicklow Film Commission is an additional support for film makers exploring options for filming in the area.

The mid-east regional Action Plan for Jobs has a number of actions to support the film sector. These include a feasibility study and business plan for the development of a film industry cluster in the county; activating a film industry network to contribute towards the development of an audiovisual cluster; piloting a one-day workshop in film industry-related training; building on the success of the film sector by providing supports and incentives and developing ancillary services; and the provision of film industry-related training programmes in partnership with third level institutions in the area. In this regard, Wicklow County Council, education and training providers and the film industry development group are working with the Wicklow local enterprise office to progress these actions.

I must apologise to the Deputy, as I am taking this question and the information has been given to me quickly. According to it, the decision was a commercial one. Enterprise Ireland only has a minority shareholding. I do not know the exact figure and will not pretend to know, but either the Minister, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, or I will revert to the Deputy on this matter. It is being investigated and we are in contact with whoever needs to be contacted because this has unquestionably been a blow to the area. I am unsure as to the Government's involvement, given that this is a commercial decision and Enterprise Ireland only has a minority stake.

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