Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action he has taken to address the plight of those affected by recent job losses in County Donegal. [25514/05]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is considering any new initiative in respect of replacement employment for those who recently lost jobs in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25387/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 193 together.

I very much regret the recent job loss announcements by Hospira and Clubman Omega. FÁS has written to both companies offering its full range of services for employees who may become redundant. This will include registration interviews to assess suitable career progression options, a skills analysis report, re-training and upskilling needs, with follow-up courses in-house or contracted training, as required, and ongoing support and information to keep people in touch with the labour market. Enterprise Ireland has also been in touch with the companies to offer assistance to the workforce and local management team who might be interested in establishing a new enterprise. The full support of the Donegal County Enterprise Board is also being made available.

The Deputies will be aware that there have been significant job announcements in Donegal recently, with over 210 new jobs announced last week by Zeus Industrial Products and PowerBoard. These projects are being supported by the Industrial Development Agency and Enterprise Ireland, respectively. This was in addition to 423 jobs I announced earlier this year for the north-west region. I assure the Deputies that the State development agencies, IDA, Enterprise Ireland, FÁS and the CEB, under my auspices, are fully committed to supporting and promoting job creation and job retention in Donegal.

In addition to recent job announcements, this commitment is also evidenced by ongoing development and support by the agencies for a number of business parks and enterprise centres in Donegal. These include the completion of the IDA Letterkenny business park, the provision of a 25,000 sq. ft. advance office building at Windyhall, the completion of site development work at Ballyshannon for a new facility and Buncrana, where IDA is working with a local developer to provide new manufacturing and office buildings. In addition to providing support for nine community enterprise centres in Donegal, Enterprise Ireland has also provided substantial support for the expansion of the Letterkenny Institute of Technology business development centre and the development of a marine biotechnology centre.

I recognise that there have been significant job losses in Donegal in recent years, particularly in traditional sectors such as textiles and clothing. I have visited Donegal twice since becoming Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and have met many groups and companies on these visits to discuss both difficulties and positive developments in the county. My colleagues in Government also recognise the particular difficulties in Donegal and, in that context, we will be working together to assist in improving the overall environment to increase the attractiveness of Donegal as a location for enterprises.