Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise a matter that is very important to the community from whence I come and the surrounding area. I am anxious that the Leader speak directly to the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, on foot of this intervention. The Leader is aware that Wellman International, which based in Mullagh in County Cavan, has gone into examinership. The company employs approximately 240 people, many from Meath but also a good number from east Cavan and County Louth. It is an important local employer in an area to which it is not easy to attract employment. This makes it critical. The company has gone into examinership. Given that it is not receivership, there is potential.

I would like the Leader to ask the Minister to be very proactive in seeking and supporting a buyer for it, and to make it easy to buy it. Any support that can be put in place should be put in place. There should be a whole-of-government response, and this should be holistic in nature. I refer, for example, to circumstances where a buyer may want planning permission. Any buyer should be supported through the process of purchasing the operation and maintaining the jobs there. It is critical to maintain the jobs. The first big ask is that we try to achieve this. There is anecdotal evidence there might be a little white in that regard, there but we do not know. It is all only pub talk at this point. We need to get something concrete going there. I ask the Leader to speak directly to the Minister. I would appreciate a direct response in view of the gravity of the situation.God forbid, but if there are to be any redundancies, there should be full support for the workers so that they can be retrained, reorganised or re-employed. The big ambition is to have the company bought, supported and reopened. Anything that can be done should be done, whether it is to look at the existing people, as it is still in examinership, but more likely to a purchaser. I will await a response and we can then take the discussion further.