Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a shocking blow to the town. I accept the Minister's bona fides in trying to address the issue at this late stage. The fact is that the Taoiseach has promised a task force for Drogheda, which is what I want. I have met with him and we have discussed it with his staff. It will be broader, not in the sense of including jobs but including this as a key issue. Very shortly - around 16 July - I expect the Taoiseach to meet with people who are interested in this matter to discuss how we do that. The task force is very important.

This decision was made and the company was very clear on it. They talked about their Irish board, not their international board. Is there room for manoeuvre there? It is just an issue for me. If the Minister is going to the international headquarters, perhaps there is an opportunity to make a different play that might be listened to with different ears and with a different outcome. I also want to know if there is an issue around water and the cost of water. Is that one of the issues they notified to IDA Ireland? I understand the company has given IDA Ireland a critique of why they are moving out of Drogheda. We need to know that. I ask the Minister to place this on the record of the House or give it to us. We can address those issues if we know what they are.

At the end of the day we value the work force and we value the jobs, but we also value the company. I want to stress that. They have made a very significant contribution and I think they have huge potential as a leading advanced medical technology company. There is room for them in Drogheda and we will do whatever we can to help them.

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