Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Every region has seen employment growth since we started An Action Plan for Jobs process but certainly not at the same rate. I am keen to play to the strengths of regions. Like An Action Plan for Jobs it will require a reaching out to people outside of our own family of agencies. On 19 December we will have our first stakeholder engagements in the midlands which means engaging with the wider body of interests within the region. Our ambition is to have something like An Action Plan for Jobs at regional level to develop with other groups practical actions that can be taken. That is very much on our radar.

We will use a number of policy tools, of which advance units are one. We will also plan for additional similar facilities in 2015. The use of a specialist competitive start in the aviation sector worked very well in the mid-west because this approach has strength. It is our ambition to try to shape our instruments to better build the capabilities of regions.