David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last week Diageo announced that it would close its manufacturing plant in Waterford city. As many know, there has been a long tradition of brewing in Waterford. The plant mentioned which produces the concentrate, or the essence of Guinness, which is exported all over the world, has been in operation for hundreds of years. Some 35 jobs are to go, while I understand production will be centralised in the St. James's Gate facility in Dublin. Obviously, that is an issue for the company and I do not place responsibility for what has happened on the Minister, the Department or the Government. Multinational companies make these decisions, but that is cold comfort for the 35 people in Waterford who might lose their jobs. Will the Deputy Leader ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation what interventions have been made by him and the Department? This is a very strange decision because in 2004 the company invested €40 million in the facility in Waterford which is state-of-the-art. Public moneys were used to invest in that facility, yet a short number of years later the company has decided to close down the manufacturing plant, despite the fact that it is state-of-the-art. Obviously, the trade union involved is trying to put pressure on the company to reverse its decision, but if that is not possible and jobs are lost, there will be a responsibility on the Government and Enterprise Ireland to look at the future of the site and ensure some micro-brewing company is put in place in order that an iconic building in Waterford city will not be left vacant. Obviously, our primary goal is to try to convince the company to maintain the jobs in Waterford. What actions can be taken and what interventions can be made by the Minister and the Department to save the jobs in question?