Written Answers. - Job Creation.
Dinny McGinley
Question:
50
Mr. McGinley
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the progress, if any, made in identifying new jobs in Donegal following the loss of jobs in Fruit of the Loom and Austin Reed; the training programmes, if any, commenced in Donegal to assist those who have lost or are about to lose their jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4166/99]
Nora Owen
Question:
108
Mrs. Owen
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the progress, if any, made in identifying new jobs in Donegal following the loss of jobs in Fruit of the Loom and Austin Reed; the training programs, if any, commenced in Donegal to assist those who have lost or are about to lose their jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4186/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 108 together.
On 16 September 1998, I set up the Donegal employment initiative to assess and recommend the most appropriate responses to offset and compensate for the expected job losses in particular areas of Donegal, and draw up a set of priority actions for establishing Donegal as a prime, competitive and attractive location for job creation investment. The task force is chaired by the Donegal County Manager and includes representatives from the business community, relevant State agencies and Government Departments.
In line with its terms of reference, the task force is currently working with IDA Ireland in identifying international companies which would be best suited to a Donegal location, and the incentives and services which would be required to attract them to Donegal. In the past six months, IDA Ireland has brought 11 companies on first time site visits to County Donegal and a number of these companies have returned for a second visit. Currently, out of these 11 site visits, there are a number of companies involved in ongoing detailed discussions with IDA Ireland in relation to potential new investments. I am is hopeful that there will be a successful outcome to the negotiations.
In addition, the development of a new 27 acre business park in Letterkenny is progressing well, with the completed new advance factory attracting significant interest. Planning application has been lodged for a second 25,000 sq.ft. advance factory. Arrangements have also been finalised for the construction of a new quality office building at Windyhill in Letterkenny. These developments, together with the quality buildings available from Fruit of the Loom at Milford, Raphoe and Malin, all provide a good promotional base from which to actively market the Donegal region.
The Donegal employment initiative is also working with Enterprise Ireland in attacting indigenous enterprises to the region, particularly in the fishing, food and tourism sectors. Enterprise Ireland has approved financial support of almost £2 million which will result in the creation of a total of 74 new jobs in 1999 by three companies located in Letterkenny and Killygordan.
In relation to training, FÁS and CERT, in co-operation with the Donegal employment initiative, have drawn up a joint programme for retraining workers who are to be made redundant at Fruit of the Loom and the Austin Reed subsidiary, Donegal Shirt Company.
On 11 January, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recration announced details of a £0.5 million CERT initiative involving a range of training programmes to help the workers who will be made redundant at Fruit of the Loom and Donegal Shirt Company to find new jobs in the tourism sector.
As a first step in the retraining programme, FÁS is running a series of interview sessions in the various Fruit of the Loom plants to provide personal employment guidance counselling for each workers and to register them with FÁS with a view to future job opportunities. These interview sessions commenced on 8 February and will be completed by the end of the month. Following on from this, FÁS will produce a workforce analysis which will provide a profile of the workers and the type of training they require. A workforce analysis has already been completed in respect of the workers in the Donegal Shirt Company.
The Donegal employment initiative, through FÁS and CERT, will then co-ordinate a wide range of education and training programmes, including the provision of training courses in each community area subject to the level of demand. In order to ensure that the combined FÁS and CERT training programme is utilised to the maximum, FÁS also plans to invite the workers who left the Buncrana Fruit of the Loom plant over the past 12 months to attend specially arranged interview sessions.
The timing of the various training programmes will have to take into account that, due to receipt of a large order, Fruit of the Loom has announced that the planned redundancies have been postponed for three months and will not now take place before the end of April.
In addition to the training programmes being provided by FÁS and CERT, the Irish Trade Union Trust is also planning to deliver their services to the workers at the various plants, which would include essentials such as the preparation of CVs,
I would thank the management at Fruit of the Loom and Donegal Shirt Company for their co-operation with the Donegal employment initiative in the delivery of briefing and interview sessions to their workers.
