THE man tasked with co-ordinating the Government's response to the situation at Quinn Insurance gave evidence to the Committee for Employment and Learning in Enniskillen yesterday.

Leslie Ross who took up the post in May was asked to update the Assembly Committee on what was being done to help those employees affected by the financial trouble at Quinn Insurance.

Meeting at South West College's Technology and Skills Centre on Wednesday, Mr. Ross addressed the members, including Chairperson Dolores Kelly of the SDLP.

Representatives from the Quinn Employee action group and Sinn Fein's Phil Flanagan sat in the public gallery.

Mr. Ross gave them an extensive breakdown of the Quinn issues plus the background of the company and its employment figures.

He also provided members with a detailed time line of the company's problems; right from the moment Quinn Insurance went into administration to its present situation.

Mr. Ross told members that a 'redundancy clinic' would operate on July 27: "It will enable people to formulate their minds into learning or not learning. There will be an array of people offering their services," he said.

These will include the Department of Employment and Learning, Invest Northern Ireland, South West College, the Social Security Agency, Customs and Excise and possibly recruitment agencies and financial advisers.

On the subject of redundancies locally, Mr. Ross explained that Quinn Insurance had offered staff voluntary led compulsory redundancies and that "significant numbers" had come forward: "There will now be no compulsory redundancies," he told members.

When asked to describe the moral at the Fermanagh company, Mr. Ross said he was "very impressed" with what he's seen.

"When I met with the management of the company I asked them that very question and they told me that moral is remarkably high. You can't but be impressed at the enthusiasm the staff show," he said.

It also emerged yesterday that Mr. Ross will finish as co-ordinator in two months time. He told members: "By August 11 I have to produce a report -- a model -- on what has worked and what hasn't. It is my job to stimulate this." But Mr. Ross said if he was still needed he would continue in the role, depending on how the Quinn situation evolves.

In finishing, Mr. Ross outlined his key objectives for moving forward.

They are: -For the company to improve its trading performance by writing new insurance -To maximise its market position for potential bidders and to achieve an increase in the work force post new ownership.

-For employees, to avoid the need for any new compulsory redundancies.

-For those leaving under voluntary led compulsory redundancies to get helpful advice and benefits available and the training courses.

-Make those leaving Quinn Insurance aware of the vacancies in other companies.

-The need for Fermanagh Enterprise to encourage those leaving Quinn Insurance to start their own businesses.

-And to make the most of the rural development programme (through DARD and SWARD -- a combination of ten councils).

This assists people starting a business if they come from a farming or rural background. As Fermanagh is nearly all rural which makes it unique from other counties so nearly everyone who lives in Fermanagh (unless they leave between the bridges) will qualify for this and it's got Capital Grant, which the others haven't.

After the meeting Mr. Ross was off to meet the administrators dealing with Quinn's.

"We'll be meeting to talk about what progress is being made on the sale of Quinn Insurance. How the business itself is going, how the writing of insurance is going and a general update on everything. I'm also meeting with the HR manager of the company to get an understanding of how the redundancies is panning out," he said.

Mr. Ross said a "significant amount of work" was going on in the background: "Everybody is tasked with maximising the support that's needed to help the company through these difficult times with whatever happens at the end of it," he said.

Meanwhile yesterday morning, the SDLP's Tommy Gallagher hosted a breakfast meeting with the Employment and Learning Committee and Quinn Employees at the Lough Erne Golf Resort.

Mr. Gallagher was "delighted" to welcome his Stormont colleagues to Fermanagh and said: "There is a never a good time to lose your job but the current economic climate is particularly punishing for anyone seeking employment. This will be a real test for the Executive and the eyes of the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone are on them at this testing time. Safeguarding of jobs must be a priority as Fermanagh is the most economically disadvantaged area of Northern Ireland."