My Department has also been in a contact with the Northern Ireland authorities in relation to the Belfast situation. The Tánaiste also met with representatives of the workers this morning to discuss their concerns. The company operates in a very volatile market which is going through a very tough period of trading. The market is plagued by considerable levels of oversupply resulting in poor prices while costs remain high. The company made significant losses in the past year and despite the identification of a number of significant cost savings as part of recent efforts to save the company, it was still not possible to establish a basis for a viable future. The Government, through NET, and ICI as joint shareholders have been very supportive of the company, including by means of the provision of €34 million in recent years. Since inception in 1961, the value of the Exchequer support for NET and IFI has amounted to nearly €750 million in present day terms.