Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 512: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he has instructed the job creation agencies to undertake to prepare the ground to ensure that workers who lose their jobs at a company (details supplied) are in a strong position to re-enter the workforce in as short a timeframe as possible, in view of the fact that the company has announced that the remaining 630 jobs at its plants in Buncrana and Campsie will be phased out over the next four to five years; if workers at this company will be able to take up courses and training with full FÁS funding and support, even though they are still in employment, in order that the existing workforce at the company has a wide-ranging bases of skills in order to attract sustainable employment to the Inishowen area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34242/04]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

FÁS is in discussions with Fruit of the Loom about proposed job losses in the coming years. The role of FÁS is particularly important in providing training and up-skilling for workers who are currently employed at the company. To date, FÁS has dealt with redundancies and plant closures at Fruit of the Loom plants at Dungloe, Malin Head, Raphoe and Milford, together with three groups of redundancies at the Buncrana plant.

FÁS plans to give a comprehensive service to Fruit of the Loom employees, as the agency has done previously with those declared redundant. Following the company's job loss announcement, FÁS wrote to the company on 20 September 2004 offering to provide a service to those employees being made redundant.

At the meeting with the company in October 2004 FÁS undertook in principle to review the information provided and to prepare a strategy that would help upskill the remaining 361 employees of the company. To get the operation under way, FÁS commissioned a private sector training consultant to carry out a scoping study to assist the company to prepare a fully inclusive training programme. The consultant's report has just been received by FÁS and an initial meeting has taken place with the company. However, further discussion will need to take place with all the parties concerned. The agreed programme could start this year, provided financial arrangements and agreements can be worked out at the time.

IDA Ireland is committed to the development of the north west region and continues to strive to secure new investment for Donegal. Both IDA and Enterprise Ireland are working closely with their existing base of companies in the region. I wish to assure the Deputy that the Government, along with the State development agencies, is committed to balanced regional development, particularly through the implementation of the national spatial strategy and the Government's decentralisation programme. The State development agencies will continue to work together to promote Donegal to attract investment and to foster job creation there.