The European Commission has approved the making of payments to certain Irish Ispat workers who were made redundant as a result of the closure of the company last June. The Commission has approved the maximum aid amount of €3,000 (£2,360) per worker. "It will take a few weeks for the Commission to finalise the administrative details and to transfer the funds so it is likely that these payments will not be made until after Christmas," the Tβnaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, said.

She said a condition of the aid is that the Government should pay a matching amount of funding to the workers, and they should receive this before Christmas.