Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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356. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions she is taking in view of the announcement by a company (details supplied) to close its assembly facility in Kanturk, County Cork, in September 2018; if she will request the IDA to prioritise this area for investment and job creation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30783/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The announcement by Fullwood Packo that it is to close its assembly facility in Kanturk is very disappointing, both for the firm's hard-working employees and for local area. The Government’s immediate concern is for those workers and their families that are directly affected by this announcement. Every relevant State support will, of course, be made available to these employees.

The IDA will also be working with the company to complete a skills audit on the current employee base which will be shared with local enterprise in the region. The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection is aware of the situation as well and we will be collectively, across Government, doing our utmost to help these workers transition and find new employment opportunities.

While this news in respect of Fullwood Packo is deeply regrettable, it is important to emphasise that the overall trend in terms of job creation in Ireland is very positive. 2017, for example, was another record year for the State in terms of FDI-driven employment and investment, and strong employment growth is expected to continue in 2018.

The Government is committed to supporting job creation in the regions and my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are distributed as evenly as possible across the country. The employment situation on the South West, which covers Cork and Kerry, has been steadily improving in recent years. IDA Ireland client companies in Cork alone now employ over 35,000, representing an increase of 48% since 2010.