He will visit the Northside Regeneration Office, meeting CEO Brendan Kenny and local councillors as well as some local people in training and representatives of Dell workers.

A spokeswoman for the commissioner's office, Chantal Hughes, said that the Limerick visit has been “on the cards for a long time”.

She added that the Irish application to the EGF fund-which has a maximum annual budget of €500m to facilitate the reintegration into employment of 35,000 to 50,000 workers-was only received in the last fortnight and will be processed “as quickly as we can”.

“We expect it to be done in a matter of weeks; we may need a little more information but we are committed to getting it done as soon as possible. We have to get agreement from the college of commissioners and if it's approved, we send it to the European Parliament and the European Council. This takes a bit of time. Until now all applications have been approved and been funded. As long as an application fulfils the criteria, it will be looked at in a favourable light,” she explained.

“The commissioner also travelled to Spain to visit another applicant. Here, he will not visit Dell itself but will speak with workers. He is interested in what they have to say. He will also visit Dublin on Friday to meet with national agencies and representatives but as Limerick is one of the areas hardest hit, he wants to look at projects in place there and work on the ground. His office also does a lot of work on social inclusion and he will see what's being done in Moyross to get people back into work.”

Commissioner Špidla will arrive at Shannon Airport around noon on Friday and visit the Shannon Training Centre in the Shannon Industrial Estate, with Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Dara Colleary.

He will also meet with the regional jobs task force and representatives from Government departments and agencies such as the Industrial Development Authority and FÁS.

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