Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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33. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if he or the IDA has actively worked with a company (details supplied) to find a suitable buyer for its plant in Clarecastle, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35533/20]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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34. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if he or the IDA has considered buying the factory of a company (details supplied) with a view to leasing it out to another suitable pharma company when the company closes same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35534/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together.

Roche Ireland established its pharmaceutical operation in Clarecastle, County Clare in 1974. In November 2015, Roche announced that it planned to close its Clarecastle facility after a review of Roche’s worldwide manufacturing network for small molecules.

While the announcement of the closure of the plant was very disappointing, I understand that significant assistance was provided to employees seeking alternative employment, and that the majority of staff have gained alternative employment in the Life Sciences sector, which is particularly strong in the Mid-West.

While the site is not in IDA Ireland ownership, IDA Ireland has actively marketed the site as a going concern through its extensive overseas network, to both existing and new investors. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, this process has yielded no offers.

Roche is now focusing on remediation and decommissioning of the site and has commenced a programme of works in this regard.

My Department and the enterprise agencies will continue to work to drive new investment and job creation in County Clare and the broader Mid-West region. There are currently 67 IDA client companies in County Clare employing over 7,100 people with over 220 net new jobs added by foreign direct investment (FDI) firms in 2019.

While we are facing a challenging period, it is clear that FDI will have an important role to play – both in Clare and across Ireland – as we seek to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Balanced regional development will continue to be a priority for Government in the months and years ahead.