Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Where job losses are announced by companies based in Ireland, my first thoughts are with the staff members and their families impacted by such decisions and the supports we can provide in conjunction with our Enterprise Development Agencies and other Government Departments.

In relation to the specific companies identified by the Deputy, my Department received a collective redundancy notification from Blizzard/Activision on 26th January 2024 on foot of a global announcement of plans to reduce its global workforce by 1,900 with 136 roles at Blizzard Cork impacted by the announcement. In response, the IDA regional team sought skills profiles of impacted employees and shared details on IDA Transformation supports for upskilling and reskilling. IDA will continue to keep in close contact with the company's Irish and US leadership Teams.

In respect of Dulux Paints, my Department received a collective redundancy notification on 23rd May 2024 as the company's parent company has initiated a multi-year global efficiency plan and 45 employees in Cork are at risk of redundancy. The impacted roles are primarily in production, with the company stating that it remains committed to its sales, marketing, warehousing and logistics, and Dulux Decorator centres in Ireland. Trade unions are involved in the consultation process with redundancies expected to take effect in August.

Despite the regrettable announcements, I should record that FDI in the South-West region has seen strong growth over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 32% with 229 IDA client companies employing over 52,000 people in the South-West at end-2023 and in Cork there are 212 IDA companies, employing over 50,000.