Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Aird for raising Leprino Foods and the 132 jobs there, which are valued. I know it is working under a timeline at the moment. We are working so hard with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, looking at a prospectus for a site, because it is a highly valued building. It is highly regulated and utility-rich. It provides a significant offering for a company. We are working really hard to get another buyer and a company into it because it provides a unique location. It has the infrastructure, the connectivity and the talent, and I know it is important to those 132 families who rely on those jobs in Leprino that we get a future for the site. I know Deputy Aird is very much engaged in it. I met the management there. I went through all the options regarding how we got to this stage. I know it can be frustrating to lose high-value jobs like that but we will work so hard to get them replaced. We will work closely with the Deputy. I met and briefed him after our meeting and he has been centrally involved in trying to ensure that we get more services and high-valued jobs and, critically, look out for the futures of those 132 families who are really dependent on the Government getting a response here.

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