Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he is taking to replace the job losses at a company (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28806/21]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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86. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of efforts to replace jobs lost at a factory (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29733/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 86 together.

The closure of the Aptar plant in Ballinasloe was a very disappointing development for the region and I am keenly aware of the blow this has been for the affected employees and their families.

IDA Ireland has been working with the company to market the plant to potential investors, using the employee skills audit in their efforts to attract new investment to Ballinasloe. The IDA introduced a number of companies to the Aptar management team and also arranged visits to the site.

Last week I was pleased to learn that Chanelle Pharma would be moving into the former Aptar site, investing €5 million and creating 60 new jobs over the next five years, as it expands its distribution and manufacturing operations in Ireland. This is a great development, and I would like to commend the work of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland in bringing about this outcome.

We will continue our work to increase investment in all regions. IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices are working with stakeholders in the West to secure sustainable employment opportunities, including in Ballinasloe.

My Department has developed a series of Regional Enterprise Plans which are focused on strengthening the regional ecosystem to enable job creation. I met with the West Regional Enterprise Steering Committee in December 2020, which comprises representatives of IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Local Authorities, LEOs, private sector, and Western Development Commission amongst others, to discuss enterprise potential in the West. I requested that they refresh the Plan for the West to cover the period to 2024. I have asked Minister of State Robert Troy to work closely with the Committee in this task and he has since met with the Committee (on 2^ndMarch last) to get this work underway.

My Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that we continue to attract new investment to Ireland. This will remain a priority in the time ahead, particularly as we seek to recover from the economic impact of Covid-19.