Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 104: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the case of a company (details supplied); the companies that have been assisted to date in 2010 from the sale of the company; the number of jobs created; the EU and other funds available to redundant employees of the company; if retirement or retraining grants will be available; if the hangers have been fully stripped or if equipment is retained there; if grants will be available to qualified avionic technicians for refresher courses to keep their qualification in place which must be carried out every two years; if she was involved in the open day back to education event; the person who organised it; the way it was funded; the reason workers were not properly informed; if all workers will be given an opportunity for application and assessment; the reason there is mention of time running out and end of assessments and so on; if her Department, EU or another agency fund this retraining education process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5943/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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On 2 September 2009, I announced the establishment of Dublin Aerospace Limited, a new aviation maintenance provider supported by Government through Enterprise Ireland. Dublin Aerospace aims to establish a best-in-class maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Dublin Airport, servicing APUs, landing gear, base maintenance and training. The company has commenced operations with 70 initial employees recruited. This number is anticipated to grow to 226 jobs.

The garage business unit of SR Technics has been taken over by the M50 Truck and Van Centre who were successful in securing the airside vehicle maintenance contract from SR Technics.

Aer Lingus has decided to undertake line maintenance operations previously contracted to SRT. A number of employees will transfer from SRT to the new line maintenance operation at Aer Lingus.

Last October, my Department submitted a provisional application to the European Commission for co-financing support from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) towards the cost of a personalised package of training, educational and entrepreneurial services to workers made redundant at SR Technics.

The Commission has sought additional information in relation to the application which my Department is currently preparing. State agencies such as FÁS and Enterprise Ireland have made, and continue to make, the full range of their employment, training, guidance and advisory services available to workers made redundant at SR Technics. The EGF does not support passive social protection measures such as retirement pensions or unemployment benefits. The EGF only funds active labour market interventions such as job-search assistance, occupational guidance, training and re-training, outplacement assistance and entrepreneurship promotion and aid for self-employment.

The information day for former SR Technics workers held at the ALSAA, Dublin Airport on 9 December was organised and funded by Dublin City University. All former SR Technics workers who had engaged with FÁS Employment Services were invited to attend. Statutory bodies and agencies such as FÁS, Enterprise Ireland, County Dublin VEC and a large number of third level educational establishments from Dublin and Dundalk were present. Reimbursement of these costs will be sought by my Department under the technical assistance budget available under the EGF.

Subsequent to the information day, learning assessment seminars at All Hallows College aimed at assessing the skills, aptitudes, experience and occupational preferences of former workers were held in January with a view towards guiding interested workers into the most appropriate avenue of further or third level study, to commence, in many cases, from the second academic semester in February 2010.

In the event of a successful EGF application, EGF measures provided for eligible workers must be implemented by October 2011.