Brian Stanley slams IDA over Leprino plant closure in Portlaoise

Minister, I am raising this very important issue with you because the workers at Leprino in Portlaoise received 132 employees and received the news on the 18th and 19th of August that their plant was closing and has been mown down over this year and next year. This is a very important facility. When this opened, there were great hopes, and I certainly have great hopes because at last we had a large, fairly substantial manufacturing plant in the constituency. The record in relation to the IDA has not been good. Here were over 100 jobs created in the new business park. Very, very important. At last here it is happening. We have over 12,000 people commuting out of the county. It is estimated every day to work. A lot of them here to this city. We need to change that. We need to create more jobs in the constituency. Some of the 132 people that are losing their jobs are couples. You can obviously imagine the impact of that in terms of if they have mortgages or if they have commitments like that. IDA and Enterprise Ireland, and I am going to say this to you straight up, the record regarding the niche is awful. It is awful. There are only 154 jobs in IDA-backed companies in the county, the lowest in the state. The IDA made two visits, two visits to Leish in the last 12 months. Some of their visits, by the way, are e-visits. They are not actually physical visits. In 2021, they made three visits. In 2022, two visits. Last year, two visits. So it is the worst record as far as I can see from the charts that I have seen for IDA performance. Westmead, 20. They had 20 visits. I do not take that from them. Well and good for Westmead. The Council, Leish County Council, they have put out all the stops. They have created a business park and there are loads of jobs being created in that business park and loads of new industry, including Alpha Drives where the Leish Road and Tralee works as an apprentice electrician. It started there and that is great to have those jobs there. Leish County Council has been supporting start-ups. As I said, they have developed the Tucker Business Park. It is right at the crossroads of Ireland. It is on the junction of the N7, N8 and N80. You will understand that as a Government Minister, the importance of that. In contrast, the IDA has not performed or has not even hardly been seen around the place. We have met the IDA over the years from 700 deputies. Councillors have met them. We have put this to them. But I do not see improvements. The IDA from the Minister's Department is getting substantial taxpayers' money. I know that last year or the year before, they got well in excess of £80 million. I think it is something around £90 million at the moment. I am opening the contradiction on that. They have well paid senior staff. In the past, we have heard all the excuses. Location was the problem. Now the motorways are there. The N80 has been upgraded by the County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. As I said, the Tucker Business Park is on the crossroads of Ireland. Lack of infrastructure was another one. Now, in the centre of Leish, we have first class infrastructure, roads. This is less than one kilometre from that junction of the N7, N8 and N80. The lack of service land used to be called as a problem. We have not that now. We have the Tucker Business Park developed by the Council. We have 50 acres owned by the IDA, less than one kilometre away from the Council's site. So, Minister, I know you will tell me you cannot direct the IDA to do this, that or the other, but questions need to be asked about the IDA in relation to Leish. Thank you very much, Count Corolla, and thank you, Deputy, for raising this matter, which I take on behalf of Minister Peter Burke. We were all very concerned to learn of the difficulties being experienced by Leprino Foods Company in Portleet. Minister Burke extends his sympathies to all employees and their families who may be affected by this decision taken by the company, and he knows that this news is very concerning for all of the workers involved and their families too. I understand that the Minister received a collective redundancy notification from Leprino Foods, EU Limited, on the 19th of August this year. As you know, Ireland has a robust framework of legislative protections and supports for workers who are impacted by redundancy. Under the Protection of Employment Act 1977, employers planning collective redundancies must take a 30-day consultation and information process with employees' representatives, and they must also undertake to notify the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of the proposed redundancies at least 30 days before they take effect. Both the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Department of Social Protection will support the company and its employees in any way that they can. Enterprise Ireland, as you know, supports both national and international food and drink manufacturers, and Enterprise Ireland will continue to engage with them to set up in Ireland, supporting them to scale, to expand and to access our world-leading food innovation ecosystem. IDA Ireland has continued its strong commitment to regional development, which is one of the four key strategic objectives of its 2025-2029 strategy, Adapt Intelligently. This ambitious strategy aims to secure 550 foreign direct investment projects outside Dublin, counting for 55% of all planned investments. The overarching goal is to create 75,000 new jobs nationwide and generate a projected 250 billion euro in economic impact. IDA has also set ambitious targets for every region in Ireland, including the Midlands region. The FDI performance in the Midlands has been strong over the past five years, with employment among IDA clients increasing by 26, and a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across life sciences, technology, global, business and financial services, as well as engineering and industrial technologies. As you have said, there are currently 145 people employed across five IDA-supported companies in Leash. I know you have expressed dissatisfaction with the growth in that area, and in particular with the number of visits that the IDA have undertaken to County Leash, and I will pass that feedback on to the Minister. But as you have pointed out yourself, we now have new motorways, upgraded infrastructure, upgraded and new service sites, all because of government investments, and these are going to make Leash an even more attractive location for investment. IDA Ireland partners with clients and with key stakeholders to build on the strength and the competencies of the Midlands region, with a particular focus on high-value manufacturing, on services and research, and on development opportunities across a number of established clusters, whether that's in life science, technology, global business service, engineering technology trends, they have and they will continue to create new opportunities across the region in areas including data analytics, smart manufacturing, cyber security, and they will also look at new approaches to working, such as co-working hubs. A core objective of IDA Ireland is to deliver a competitive property offering which supports foreign direct investment, and the growth and the expansion of Indigenous clients within the enterprise Ireland portfolio. IDA's current strategy includes a partnership with Leash County Council to deliver an advanced planning permit in Port Leash. Thank you Deputy. Mr Minister for your reply. In actual fact, 145 people employed in IDA jobs, back jobs or companies in Leash, that is actually a decline of nine in glass figures, and it is very disappointing. I have to say that to you. You know, the question has to be asked, you know, why is Leash being ignored time and time again? I know everybody will bat their own corner, but I think if you look at the map of the 26 counties, and look at the number of IDA-backed jobs in various counties, Leash is way down at the bottom, despite the fact that it has that excellent infrastructure, and a huge workforce, a huge workforce that is commuting out of the county. You know, as I said to you, the location is the best that I can see outside of Dublin, and other people remark on that as well. The questions that need, and I want you to bring this to the Minister's attention, Senior Minister, Minister Bourke, why is Leash being ignored time and time again? What is the IDA doing about developing the 50-acre site that they actually owned on the edge of Portleish? Nothing has happened there yet. You know, what are they doing, along with Enterprise Ireland, to get a replacement in industry into Leprino? Because it is a new plant. It was only four years in production, Minister. You know, we have great hopes for this. And also in terms of, you know, there needs to be support from your department, from the Government Department, for the workers in terms of transitioning. But overall, overall, both Enterprise Ireland, the message I am giving you here tonight, and the Government here tonight, because you fund these bodies, and I do not have a problem with that. You know, we need jobs, jobs are important. I agree with that. We will have one on that. But the IDA and Enterprise Ireland need to up their game. We need to see that the taxpayers' money that comes from people in Leash, the same as everybody else, right through a county Leash, that people can see bang for their buck. And two visits in a year is an awful record for a state-backed body, and it needs to change. Thank you, Deputy Minister. Thank you, Coherlock, and thank you, Deputy. Ireland, as you know, has seen very positive jobs growth in recent years, and we are now virtually at full employment. However, announcements like this show that we can never become complacent, and we can never take any jobs for granted, and show that there are challenges in certain markets which are beyond the state's control at times. Inflationary pressures, energy costs, and the recent increase in UF tariffs have created additional challenges for businesses across the country. Minister Burke can assure the House that the state will provide appropriate supports to employees impacted by this particular closure, and the Intrio Office of the Department of Social Protection will proactively help them to access opportunities available for employment or appropriate training and development options. As a government, we will continue to focus on building the resilience of businesses and on keeping innovation at the heart of that. The IDA continues to work effectively with national and local stakeholders to ensure that each region has the necessary conditions in place to foster enterprise and innovation, and attract investment and talent. The IDA enjoys a close working relationship with all key stakeholders across the four counties in the region, and is heavily involved in a significant number of initiatives across that region to improve the value proposition of FDI. Just transition. The Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan Steering Committee, the ICT Network and the ATIM Cluster Steering Committee, and the Regional Skills Forum, there are loads of them. The availability of quality business parks and strategic sites show that there is a critical component there of the regional value proposition, and that is there because it is there to be able to win investment into the regions. It is crucial that the Midlands region has a competitive, sustainable property offering to enable the attraction and retention of investment in jobs. The IDA has made considerable investments in land, buildings and infrastructure across the Midlands region. As you have spoken about, in October 2022, the IDA acquired 18.46 hectares of land adjacent to the business and technology park in Portlaoise, and an additional 4.25 hectares last year. That land is currently available for promotion on the business and technology park in Portlaoise, and it is almost 30 hectares at this point. The IDA continues to assist Enterprise Ireland companies with their property requirements as they set up and scale up. Thank you, Minister. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.