Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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4. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of the proposed decision of a company to transfer its manufacturing activities from its site in Balbriggan to Britain by the end of December 2024; if he will engage with workers and the community regarding the matter; and the measures that can be taken to stimulate the creation of good jobs in Balbriggan. [30127/24]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I previously raised the situation at the Wavin Ireland factory in Balbriggan with the Minister. At the time, in committee, I indicated my intention to raise it on the floor of the Dáil. I would appreciate if he would focus specifically on the steps and measures that can be taken to stimulate the creation of good jobs in Balbriggan. We are sorry to see the jobs go at Wavin Ireland. We appreciate the Minister's involvement up to this point. I am asking what he can and will do to stimulate the creation of decent jobs in the area as we move forward.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Wavin Ireland has been an IDA Ireland client company for more than 60 years. My Department received a notification of collective redundancy from the company last Friday, 5 July, confirming its intention to reduce its workforce by some 50 positions by the end of the year due to the transfer of manufacturing functions to its facility in the UK. As always, the primary concern, in the House and in my Department, is for the staff and their families who will be impacted by this decision. The Government and our agencies will be on hand to support those individuals as they seek alternative employment.

Employees were notified of the redundancies on 1 July, with the statutory consultation period also beginning on that date. The company has advised that impacted employees are members of either SIPTU or Connect trade unions. Negotiations will be facilitated by their shop stewards. IDA Ireland has reached out to Wavin Ireland management to offer support to all involved.

In respect of job creation in the Balbriggan area, IDA Ireland's Dublin regional office continues to work closely with Fingal County Council to attract employment to Balbriggan. The IDA Ireland regional manager for Dublin is a member of the Balbriggan URBACT local working group. More broadly, the Dublin region continues to perform strongly in respect of IDA Ireland jobs announcements, including recent announcements in the past 12 months by many leading-edge manufacturing and services companies. While certain employment opportunities may not match the skills profiles of some of the workers in Wavin Ireland, the Government will work to ensure reskilling and training opportunities are provided to the workers in the coming weeks and months.

In terms of wider investment in the area, there has been significant infrastructural investment by IDA Ireland in upgrading Swords Business Park. We will work closely with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to attract good investment into the area. The pipeline is very strong. IDA Ireland has exceeded its target for the Dublin region and is working on its next five-year plan. It is similar with Enterprise Ireland and its targets for export growth. There are some very exciting export companies setting up in the Deputy's constituency. The UK market grew by more than 10% last year in the aftermath of Brexit. That is a significant achievement by those companies. We work closely with the State agencies to support the companies. All the efforts of the State are being put into reskilling, which is the most important element in the budgetary context as we look at the national training fund and other helpful measures.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for the note he sent me outlining his plan to engage with all the relevant parties to ensure the workers are given support and training. He indicated that IDA Ireland will prioritise securing replacement employment in the area. There is serious untapped potential in Balbriggan. There are people in the town who can and should be able to work at home or close to their home. However, most of them have to get on a bus or train or into their car every morning to go to Drogheda or Dublin city. There is serious underemployment in the area although one would not think so from looking at the figures for Dublin as a whole. As the Minister knows, averages do not tell us very much. We need to look at the specifics. Does the Minister have a timeframe for the realisation of his ambitions for the area? Has he set a target for the number of jobs that might be created? There is no limit to the talent, imagination, energy and enthusiasm that the people of Balbriggan will show him if he can match it with supports and a plan for rejuvenating the town and bringing decent jobs to it.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to work with the Deputy to support the community and provide high-quality jobs. That is important to our economy. IDA Ireland is drawing up a new strategic plan to ensure we remain competitive and can attract high-quality jobs into the region. The statistics are very good. Approximately one third of the new investment coming into the country at the moment is by new-name companies, many of which are choosing Dublin as their location. Two thirds of new investment is by way of repeat business, which is also very important. These are existing clients who have chosen Ireland as their destination, are happy with what is being offered and will continue to do business here.

I am happy to work with the Deputy into the future on securing additional support for Dublin. I referred to infrastructural upgrades that are happening. We absolutely are keen to see Balbriggan prosper. The more agile way people now work, with remote working and other mechanisms, means they are looking for high-quality opportunities that offer a blended experience rather than requiring them to go into the city every day. It is very important that people have the capacity to work in their home and in their community. We have worked hard to facilitate that by way of the new strategies from both Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.