its not everyday a minister e mails you !! shame its all a load of cock !! [email protected] To Me Today at 6:52 PM Dear Mr Kidney Thank you for your email My immediate thoughts are with the workers and their families. All the supports of the State will be made available for any workers affected by redundancy. The company has stated that costs at other plants around the world are 30% lower than the Waterford plant. The company believes that it needs to regain cost competitiveness if it is to regain market share for its products and secure the future of the plant in Waterford. I have been working with IDA Ireland on a package of support which are designed to encourage Bausch and Lomb to invest in the Waterford plant to achieve the efficiencies that would protect the remaining 900 jobs and in the future attract new product lines to the plant. I have been assured by the company that it is seeking to introduce voluntary redundancies in the first instance. The company has stated its preference is to keep the plant open. It is important to note that in the past year the company went through a similar restructuring process at its plant in Rochester New York which resulted in the plant remaining open and subsequently receiving investment from the company to position it for future expansion Government and IDA have proposals ready for substantial financial support for a major investment in the plant by the company, in order to secure its future and position it for expansion in the event that restructuring is successful. Regarding the employment situation in Waterford, my Department, through Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Waterford Local Enterprise Office supports 681 export oriented companies employing 10, 725 people. • There are 154 indigenous Irish companies employing over 4,000 people supported by the Government through Enterprise Ireland. • There are 28 foreign owned companies employing over 5,000 people supported by the government through IDA Ireland. • There are 499 small Irish companies employing over 1,400 people supported by the Waterford Local Enterprise Office. The numbers employed in these enterprises is now growing after several years of continuous decline. There is also jobs growth in many other sectors of the economy. Across the South East, jobs have grown by more than 14,000 over the past two years. In Co. Waterford the number of people on the Live Register has decreased steadily over the past two years and is down 3,000 from its peak in 2010. I am however acutely aware that from a base of historically high unemployment levels in the South East, the number of people on the live register in Co Waterford more than doubled 2008-2010. Across the South East, 38,000 jobs were lost. In order to respond to this crisis, I directed my agencies to put a concentrated focus on the South East and I put in place the South East Employment Forum, to get all Government Agencies collaborating on the challenge. The developments in the South East since the establishment of the Forum include: · Following a commitment in the South East Plan to bring a particular focus to the region, IDA Ireland has dramatically stepped up their focus on the South East with increases in site visits. Number of site visits to Waterford increased from 31 (2008 – 2010) to 51 (2011 – 2013). The IDA has put a spotlight on Waterford and the South East in terms of site visits however there are many complex factors influencing investor location decision-making and site visits such as the increasing preference of investors globally for cities of scale with 1 million plus population, significant challenges from lower cost locations in the UK and Eastern Europe and attractive regional aid.In relation to your point about job gains in companies such as Nypro and the shortage of new investors, approximately 70% of all FDI investments won by IDA Ireland is from the existing client base. · Furthermore, in order to improve the offering in the Region to win new business, IDA Ireland has signed contracts for the construction of an advanced manufacturing facility in Waterford. This facility, which will be 2,348 sq metres in area, will be located in the IDA Technology Park at Butlerstown and will be completed by year end. · A major focus has been put on stimulating start-ups in the region. There was a competitive call for feasibility funding for new start-ups in the South East region. Funding of up to €20,000 per project will be made available for 10 proposals by Enterprise Ireland; 5 community enterprise centres have been approved funding for business development managers. · Science Foundation Ireland has funded 8 research awards to Waterford Institute of Technology. · Enterprise Ireland piloted a Graduate Placement Programme in the South East with 12 companies I am seeking to develop a more integrated enterprise strategy in regions such as the South East. I have established Local Enterprise Offices within each Local Authority with a clear Service Level Agreement with Enterprise Ireland. I aim to develop a framework for a regional enterprise strategy involving all stakeholders. I have also secured the status of the region for regional aid which was under threat. From 1st July, Waterford will no longer be at and disadvantage compared to the Border West and Midlands area. I can assure you, I shall continue to focus on the creation of the maximum possible job opportunities for Waterford and the South East. Yours sincerely Richard Bruton TD Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation David Cullinane John Hearne
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 22:14:01 +0000
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