Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree that it is a very important development. We have all been working for years to ensure that IDA Ireland develops the advanced units we need to bring employment to Drogheda. It is now incumbent on IDA Ireland to fast-track that process. Planning permission has been provided and we hope that will move forward very quickly. They confirmed to me yesterday that they are aggressively marketing that to potential international investors. There is an issue with the Donore Road site. If we concede that the company will not review its decision - there is an onus on the Minister to ask it to reassess its decision on behalf of the workers and the people of Drogheda - we must bear in mind that state aid grant decisions made by the Government in 2021 mean that we are very limited in how we can provide grant aid to any future development on the Donore Road site. This decision was initiated by the previous Government and signed off by this one. There was a review of that. I am interested to establish what the review found. Is it the case that the site can be properly resourced in the future? If a future investor is interested in investing on that site, can they receive employment grants, for example?

In conclusion, if the threshold of jobs lost is 200 as well as - possibly - supply chain jobs associated with the plant itself, there is the possibility of applying for funds through the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to assist with upskilling and retraining. Is that an avenue the Minister would pursue in association with the trade unions?

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