Vol. 506 No. 5
76 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps, if any, being taken to provide alternative employment for those who have lost jobs arising from the closure of ThermoDisk in Limerick in view of her statement of 31 May 1999; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15852/99]
The announcement by ThermoDisk of the closure of their Limerick plant with effect from 1 July 1999, which will result in the loss of 69 jobs, is regrettable. The closure of the plant is due to excess global capacity. However, as I said in my statement on 31 May 1999, Limerick is experiencing buoyant jobs growth at present. I recently announced a project for Modus Media which will create 100 jobs over the next year in a customer solutions centre. Other companies such as Dell, Hadco Corporation and Beacon Integrated Systems are recruiting at present and are looking for a wide range of skills.
This week, FÁS will meet the ThermoDisk employees to undertake skills profiles and assess training requirements. Everything possible will be done by FÁS to enhance the prospects of the workforce for re-employment. In addition, the Limerick area is regarded as an attractive location for overseas mobile investment and the development agencies will continue to market it aggressively.
