Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy may be aware that I was in Limerick on Monday. I had meetings in the city with the Local Enterprise Office, LEO, and a number of business representative groups including the Limerick Chamber of Commerce, the Small Firms Association, SFA , and others. In 2022, more than 2,000 new jobs were created in Limerick city and county, supported by various State agencies including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the LEO. In terms of job creation across the State, the mid-west region is doing well. We are seeing new jobs being created in every region and there is no Dublin-centric or urban-centric point of view at work.

I recognise the crucial work of the Limerick Regeneration project. Its work has been going on for years and I know that Deputy Quinlivan has contributed to that, steadfastly, as a public representative, both in the Dáil and previously as a member of Limerick City Council. There is a huge responsibility on my Department to work with local bodies, local State agencies such as the Intreo office and local bodies like Limerick Regeneration to identify perceived blackspots or what I would see as areas of huge opportunity. We are at full employment in this State and we need everyone who is in a position to work to be working. Ideally, I would like them to be working at building homes but they need to be working in every sector of the economy. There is increased scope to look at where the opportunities lie, including in the blackspot areas in Limerick referenced by Deputy Quinlivan and certain parts of Dublin's north inner city. The latter area also had a really successful taskforce which was set up by the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, with contributions from the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe. I am also thinking of new initiatives that have taken root and have started to deliver in places like Drogheda and the south-west inner city area of Dublin. There is a template there that can work. However, templates can only work if they treat every part of the country fairly and equitably.