Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I was deeply saddened by the announcement earlier this year by B.Braun and my sympathies are with the employees and their families. IDA Ireland has been working closely with the company to try to find a solution for the company but unfortunately, a solution could not be found. As the Deputy is aware, the company made the decision to move a significant portion of its operations to third parties.

My Department, through IDA Ireland has activated the Job Loss Protocol which is a co-ordinated response plan implemented by an interagency group based in the region. The group consists of IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Department of Social Protection, Local Enterprise Office, North West Regional Skills, Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education Training Board and IT Sligo.

The IDA organised a meeting of the group, providing an opportunity for the company to communicate its plans and coordinate a comprehensive support response over the next 18 months. I'm informed that the planned closure of B Braun will take place in a phased manner and the first redundancies will not take effect until the end of 2022. Furthermore, the company remains committed to its R&D activities in the region. In anticipation of this timeline, the IDA is supporting the company locally and at corporate level.

Each member of the interagency group is engaging directly with the company to provide details of supports available and to agree further engagement in line with the company’s overall engagement plan for the site and the affected employees.

Investment in the Sligo region has remained strong in recent years with a number of jobs announcements made over the past 12 months and it is hoped that the employees concerned will find employment with other enterprises in the region.

The Government remains committed to regional development and sustainable job creation, supported by both the IDA Strategy and the Regional Enterprise Plans.