Vol. 563 No. 4
131 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions she has taken or intends to take to address the unemployment situation in the Youghal area of County Cork following the closure of two companies in the town recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8166/03]
The recent closure of Technicolor and pending closure of Artesyn in Youghal are a major disappointment and I fully recognise the impact on the local community. However, the issue of job creation is a statutory function of the enterprise agencies under the aegis of my Department and not one for which I, as Minister, have a direct function.
IDA Ireland has responsibility for attracting foreign direct investment to individual areas and towns and is working closely with Enterprise Ireland in helping Artesyn and Technicolor prepare a profile of their buildings, which is vital for the successful marketing of these properties to potential investors.
While east Cork has suffered job losses in recent times, it has also been extremely successful in terms of attracting new overseas investments to the area. Over 600 new jobs are expected to come on stream in the years ahead at Schlumberger, Fournier, RF Integration, Dow Corning and Amersham Health. In particular, east Cork has proved to be a particularly attractive location for the healthcare, pharmaceutical and internationally traded services sectors and IDA is hopeful that this will result in further investments in 2003.
The agencies are actively involved with Youghal Chamber of Commerce, and ongoing discussions are taking place with the chamber on developing a profile of the area, which will become an intrinsic part of the marketing material for the region. Earlier on this month, Enterprise Ireland, with the South Cork Enterprise Board, addressed a meeting of approximately 100 staff of Artesyn on supports for small business start-ups.
A similar meeting was held with staff members of Technicolour on the same theme. County enterprise board staff were also available on site for one-to-one meetings for those employees who wished to avail of their services. A follow up meeting is scheduled for 27 March in Youghal between Enterprise Ireland, Youghal Chamber of Commerce and other support organisations to formulate a tailored response to the specific needs of industry in the area.
FÁS, the national training authority, has contacted both companies to discuss a detailed programme to assist those who are being made redundant to find suitable alternative employment. FÁS will make available its full range of support services including skills analysis, jobs placement, guidance and counselling interviews, identification of training needs and suitable training courses.
The Government is committed to ensuring the most equitable regional distribution of job opportunities and, in that regard, the enterprise agencies will continue to strongly promote east Cork in the attraction of inward investment and the development and expansion of indigenous industry, including small industry.
