Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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316. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she is taking to protect jobs in Russian owned companies based here that may be threatened by increased tariffs and trade sanctions; and the discussions she has had with officials from the United States of America administration in this regard. [47880/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In April this year, the US Government imposed sanctions on a number of Russian individuals and companies. These measures have unfortunately impacted the Limerick-based company Aughinish Alumina (AA), which is owned by one of the sanctioned Russian firms.

The Government has been working hard, ever since the sanctions were announced, to help find a solution. We have been in regular communication, particularly through our Embassy in Washington, with the US about the particular issues facing AA. This included letters from myself, the Tánaiste and Minister Donohoe to our respective American counterparts. Ministers of State Pat Breen and Patrick O'Donovan also travelled to Washington in July to meet with the relevant US authorities, as well as members of Congress, to underline the importance of this for Ireland.

We remain, of course, in close contact with AA itself about the situation. The Taoiseach and Tanaiste have both met with the firm's senior management and Minister of State Breen and I have also been heavily engaged. At official level, my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continue  to work very closely together on this, with officials from both in regular contact with the company.

As regards wider international engagement, the Government has consulted with the European Commission, who understand fully how important AA is to the Mid-West of Ireland and the Irish economy. We are also working together, both in Brussels and on the ground in Washington, with other affected EU Member States in order to achieve a positive outcome.  

The Government welcomes the most recent extension of a licence deadline - which effectively allows AA to continue to operate despite the sanctions - by the US authorities to 7 January 2019. We hope that this additional time will now facilitate a definitive resolution of the issues in a way that safeguards AA's future and protects jobs at the Askeaton facility. We will continue to do everything we can to secure such an outcome.