Vol. 544 No. 3
145 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the initiatives her Department has implemented to promote local employment; the support structures which have been put in place to assist those who have lost their jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28798/01]
On 5 November 2001 I established the North Dublin Training and Job Placement Initiative, which brought together the services of FÁS, the local authority, Enterprise Ireland and Fingal County Enterprise Board. The group held its inaugural meeting on 16 November, and plans to meet again soon to assess employment possibilities and supports in north County Dublin.
For those employees of companies which recently announced redundancies, Fingal County Enterprise Board has put in place an information programme on small business start-up and business skills.
The IDA and FÁS are working specifically with the companies concerned to assist the employees affected by redundancy to find other employment opportunities.
The support structures for those who have lost their jobs is primarily the remit of FÁS. However, the development agencies continue to actively promote and bring forward expansion and development projects by existing and incoming enterprises, to north County Dublin. These will yield new employment opportunities in the near future.
In terms of infrastructure and competitive environment, north County Dublin is one of the best positioned localities for attracting new investment. I am confident this area will continue its strong development and growth.
