Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation if he has had meetings with the administration of an organisation (details supplied) to search for new buyers who would preserve the skills and experience of the workforce; if he will play a role in the approval of acquisitions or mergers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40730/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Immediately following the announcement of the impending redundancies in Quinn Insurance, I met with the Court appointed Administrators in the company of officials from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and FÁS. The Administrators briefed us on the situation within the company.

Following the redundancy announcement, I put in place an inter-agency group comprising the relevant state agencies and I appointed former chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, Dan Flinter as chair, to ensure that every possible resource was put in place to support the employment prospects of all those affected. The work of this group included provision of information in relation to further education and upskilling, seeking other employment opportunities as well as exploring their potential as regards setting up a new business. Under the merger provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 and subject to certain financial thresholds, proposed mergers and acquisitions require regulatory clearance from the Competition Authority. I have no role in this process, other than in the case of "media mergers" to which no threshold notification limitations apply.