Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2020
214. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will engage with the IDA to ensure that a replacement employer is sourced for a site (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44423/20]
View answerThe announcement last week by Viatris, that it will be closing its plant in Baldoyle, was very disappointing. I understand that while staff were informed last Friday, the majority of the jobs will remain until late 2022.
As always in these situations, our primary concern is for the workers and families affected. Every State support will be made available to those workers to help them transition and find new employment opportunities, when that need arises. Despite this disappointing decision, Viatris has made it clear that it remains fully committed to Ireland. Even after this announcement the company will employ 1,400 staff across the country, in Galway, Dublin and Cork. IDA Ireland is in close contact with the company and will work closely with them to market the site to other potential investors. We have good reason to be confident that this process will be successful.Obviously, in the current climate, there are many challenges facing us in the pursuit for FDI. Global competition for FDI is intensifying and we are under no illusions that the time ahead will prove more challenging. We will have to fight, harder than ever before, for new investment projects and the jobs that go with them. However, IDA Ireland's results for the first six months of this year demonstrated the resilience of our FDI base. The Agency has secured over 130 investments to date in 2020, which have the potential to create almost 10,000 jobs, with 53 investments from companies investing in Ireland for the first time. Full figures for the year will be available early next month. I believe that these 2020 investments reflect our continuing attractiveness to overseas firms. Overseas companies continue, the evidence would suggest, to value our FDI strengths. These include our talented and flexible workforce, a track record as a successful home to global businesses and a hard-won reputation as a pro-enterprise jurisdiction. Our continued commitment to the European Union, the single market and Eurozone, as well as to free trade and multilateralism, are other key selling points that help us convince multinational companies to establish operations and create jobs here.
