Foster: Scale of job losses is major blow

The Minister said: “This is devastating news for the hundreds of families who will be affected, particularly when so many people are already struggling in this difficult economic climate.

“I want to assure staff that, together with Invest NI and colleagues in the entire Northern Ireland Executive, we will do all that is possible to limit the impact of the redundancies.

“I welcome the fact that the company will be offering affected employees an enhanced redundancy package and will assist with training opportunities and engage with recruitment companies to provide as much help and support as it can.”

“Clearly this is a difficult economic situation and we will continue to look at every possible option to assist the Northern Ireland economy as a whole.”