CLARE Independent TD, Dr Michael Harty, has described the search for a possible replacement for Roche in Clarecastle as a “lost cause.”
He made his claims based on comments passed by Business Minister, Heather Humphreys in Dáil Éireann.
“It now seems certain that finding a replacement for Roche, the former jewel in the crown of Clare industry, is a lost cause. That is the only reasonable conclusion one can draw from the statement by Minister Humphreys who told me in answer to a Dáil question, that despite all the efforts by the IDA since the announcement was made to close in 2015, no offer has been made for the site,” Deputy Harty said.
“The company has already written to the local community detailing the wind down of its operations by mid-2020. Put the two together and it can only mean that it is curtains for Roche in Clarecastle. I welcome the jobs that have been announced recently but we still have an unemployment rate of 7.2% in the mid-west which is above the national average. I also welcome the Minister’s plan to address new job creation in this region by the end of 2020. Even if successful, we are only playing catch up with the rest of the country,” he maintained.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.