Vol. 484 No. 3
111 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received an up to date report from the North Mayo Task Force which she established in the wake of the Asahi closure announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22212/97]
I recently met the chairman of the North Mayo Enterprise Initiative, who presented me with a copy of its interim report. I expressed my appreciation to the chairman and members of the initiative, as well as local community interests, who have given their time, energy and expertise to formulate proposals to facilitate industrial development in north Mayo. A number of proposals have already been implemented, including: the announcement of some 400 jobs in a number of projects in Mayo since the establishment of the initiative, including 85 jobs in Killala, 100 jobs in Ballina and 170 in Westport. The chairman of the initiative has applauded IDA Ireland, Forbairt, Mayo County Enterprise Board and Údarás na Gaeltachta for their achievements in securing jobs for the north Mayo area within the short period of four months since I established the initiative; my announcement that FÁS is to support the establishment of an auto-turning centre of excellence in Ballina in conjunction with industry. The North Mayo Enterprise Initiative regards this as a major boost the long-term job creating prospects of the region; the publication of a high quality brochure setting out the benefits of investing in north Mayo and highlighting the attractiveness of the area; and the completion of a skills analysis of the workforce of Asahi to identify areas where assistance can be provided with career change training, job searching and establishing of new enterprises. The North Mayo Enterprise Initiative has coordinated the work of various bodies, including FÁS, Forbairt, County Enterprise Board, Moy Valley Resources and the Local Employment Service, in maximising their support services to aid the workers being made redundant.
The chairman of the initiative has informed that its work to date has been extremely rewarding, concentrating the minds of all, not alone on the needs, but also on the resources that are available to help fashion a successful future for the area. The initiative is continuing to work on the implementation of its proposals in conjunction with State agencies and local community interests, where appropriate. Intensive efforts are still being made by IDA Ireland to market the Asahi buildings and land for industrial development. There will be no let up in this regard.
