Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 245: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the closure of a company (details supplied) in County Cork; the assistance which she is in a position to give to employees therein regarding redundancy payments; the efforts she is making to secure alternative employment of a similar nature for the workers involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21336/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Freescale established its Irish design centre in Cork in 1998. The Cork Centre forms part of the Radio Products Division of Freescale's Wireless and Mobile Solutions Group (WMSG).

Freescale is a large global company that routinely makes adjustments to resources as a normal course of operations to meet changing business requirements in a very dynamic industry. Freescale has decided to streamline its cellular design and as part of this decision, is proposing that all programs in its Cork design facility be transferred to other locations and the facility be closed. The closure of the facility expected in September 2008, will result in 47 employees losing their jobs.

Freescale is entering into a consultation process with its employees in Cork this week where details of redundancy and options for employees will be outlined. A number of employees may be relocated to other global sites and it is understood that Freescale will offer an enhanced redundancy package to impacted employees.

IDA Ireland is working closely with local Freescale management in Cork to help secure alternative employment for impacted staff. FÁS will be in contact with the management of FreeScale this week and will make arrangements to register the employees. The full range of FÁS services will be made available to the employees.

IDA Ireland's Strategy for the South West Region and County Cork is to:

Work with Local Authorities and relevant infrastructure and service providers to influence the delivery of appropriate infrastructure in the region;

Progress the development of a knowledge economy so that the region can compete both nationally and internationally for foreign direct investment;

Work with the existing IDA client base and to help them to further develop their presence, and

Provide modern property solutions with supporting infrastructure.

Cork has a long industrial tradition and in recent years has grown into a strong gateway with a strong presence of international companies with significant operations located throughout Cork City and County. In particular there has been a large concentration in both the pharmaceutical/medical technology sectors and in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Recently, there has been a shift towards software, customer support and shared services activities, collectively known as Globally Traded Business.

Over the past 10 years, direct employment in IDA supported companies in Cork City and County has grown from 14,838 in 1998 to 20,114 in 2007. The sectors contributing to this growth are ICT, Pharmaceuticals/Medical Technologies and Globally Traded Business. IDA Ireland has over the last three years approved new projects for the Cork area with a job potential of over 3,100 at full operation. There are currently 134 IDA supported enterprises in Cork City and County. Recent announcements of new overseas companies locating in Cork include Blizzard, SolarWinds and Apex. These projects will significantly add to the value and depth of the overseas industry in Cork. In addition to attracting new foreign direct investment, IDA continues to work closely with its existing clients in Cork to encourage the expansion of their operations. The success of this is demonstrated by the recent expansions of several companies in the county including Citco, Vmware, Eli Lilly, Trend Micro, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo and Sanmina SCI.