Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is really devastating news for those working in Viatris and their families. It has been an exceptionally difficult year for everyone. The announcement will come as another blow, especially so close to Christmas, although I am assured that there are to be no immediate reductions and that the majority of the workforce will continue to be employed until late 2022.

This is at least some small comfort on a dark day for the employees.

I understand that this development is not related to Covid-19 but instead relates to a global restructuring of the company. Neither the Government nor IDA Ireland had advance notice of the decision. However, Viatris has stated that it remains fully committed to Ireland and even after the announcement, the company will continue to employ more than 1,400 people in Galway, Dublin and Cork. The Government will make all necessary State assistance available to the workers and we will work across Government to help all the workers to find new jobs and education and training opportunities when the redundancies are made. I understand that the company will be offering its staff enhanced redundancy and have committed to working with IDA Ireland to find an alternative for the site. IDA Ireland is in close and regular contact with the company and will work with it to market the site to other investors.

I am aware of how challenging a time this is for workers and how worried many people are about their futures and the uncertainties that exist. However, as difficult as it is to appreciate now, Ireland is in a strong position to recover and we will continue to work to attract new investment and opportunities. It is obviously difficult to speak about positives at a time when workers have just discovered that they are to lose their jobs. However, the pharmaceutical sector is continuing to grow and expand, and we have good reason to be confident that those affected will find employment opportunities with other companies in the sector.

While there are many challenges facing us in the current climate and global competition for foreign direct investment, FDI, is intensifying, the IDA Ireland's results for the last six months of the year demonstrate the resilience of our foreign direct investment base. The agency has secured over 130 investments to date in 2020, with the potential to create almost 10,000 jobs. Fifty-three of those investments are from companies that are investing in Ireland for the first time. Full figures for the year will be available early next month, but the evidence would suggest that overseas companies continue to value our FDI strengths, including our talented and flexible workforce, a track record as a successful home to global business and a hard-won reputation as a pro-enterprise jurisdiction. Our continued commitment to the European Union, the Single Market and the eurozone, as well as to free trade and multilateralism among other key selling points, help us to convince multinational companies to establish operations and create jobs here. We will continue to work to attract new investments and opportunities in the period ahead and I assure Deputy Ó Ríordáin that I will relay the points that he has raised to my colleague, the Tánaiste, who is the senior Minister.

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