Vol. 516 No. 5
117 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of closures, planned closures or reductions in employment numbers notified to her Department since 1 January 2000; the actual or anticipated level of job losses involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8009/00]
In the period from 1 January to end February 2000, a total of 2,900 proposed redundancies were notified to my Department under the Redundancy Payment Acts, 1967 to 1991. Notifications in that period included eight closures involving the loss of about 800 jobs.
Job losses are a feature of a dynamic internationally trading economy and should be seen in the context of overall substantial economic and employment growth and declining unemployment in Ireland. The State development agencies, under the aegis of my Department, work closely to attract new industrial projects and provide retraining, where appropriate, to assist workers to find alternative employment in the event of plant closures or reductions in employment.
