asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that adequate finance is available for Retos, Shannon, County Clare to enable further machinery and equipment to be provided there and to ensure that the trainees who were recently made redundant at the company are re-employed.
Written Answers. - Shannon Training Company.
72.
Retos Limited, Shannon, is a private organisation for re-employment training of handicapped persons, mainly those with a psychiatric illness. It has been largely funded by the Mid-Western Health Board, with the aid of European Social Fund grants. The grant from the health board for 1985, including an outstanding payment from the social fund, amounts to about £400,000.
In April 1985, Retos Limited requested additional grant aid from the Mid-Western Health Board to meet the cost of expanding their activities. The board informed Retos Limited that they had no funds available for this purpose. Retos Limited have since applied to my Department for a grant for this proposed development. No provision has been made in the funds available to my Department for a grant for this purpose. The matter is however being currently examined in my Department and a decision will be conveyed shortly.
Retos Limited has about 86 trainees on a full time basis at present. Some trainees in the sub-contracting division of the company were recently laid off due to a fall off in orders for sub-contract work. If further sub-contract work becomes available, the company will be in a position to resume their training.