Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will ensure that the State's industrial relations agencies will treat with the utmost urgency the need to resolve without further delay the issues before the Labour Relations Commission pertaining to a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6136/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Workers at the Lagan Brick factory, Kingscourt, Co Cavan have been involved in a protest outside the company's premises in a dispute over the decision by the company to close the operation on 15 December last with the loss of up to 30 jobs. The union wants to retain maximum employment at the plant and secure satisfactory redundancy terms for any workers that lose their jobs.

Representatives of the company and the trade union SIPTU attended conciliation talks at the Labour Relations Commission on 10th and 16th January. Following those talks, the company and SIPTU accepted proposals put to both sides by the Commission to progress the issues in dispute. In line with these proposals, an independent assessor, who has been agreed by both sides, is examining the trading position of the company, including an assessment of the viability of continuing manufacturing in Kingscourt. It was envisaged that the assessor would provide a report to both sides within a period of 2 weeks and that the parties would reconvene under the auspices of the LRC on 30 January to consider the implications of the assessor's report and other outstanding issues, including the question of severance terms for required redundancies.

However, I understand that the assessor has sought additional time to complete the report and that the reconvened hearing will take place on 6th February next.