Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Support for job creation and investment on a regional or local basis comes within the remit of the industrial development agencies, IDA Ireland, which is actively marketing individual areas as a location for additional foreign direct investment, and Enterprise Ireland, which concentrates on the development of indigenous industries, with the 35 city and county enterprise boards having primary responsibility for the regional promotion of indigenous industry in the micro-enterprise sector. Under the Industrial Development Acts, I may give general policy directives to IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland but I am precluded from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving preference to one area over others.

The latest quarterly household survey published by the Central Statistics Office on 2 March 2005 shows that the unemployment rate in the south east was 5.6%. While this figure is above the national average, which is now down to4.3%, it is a significant decrease on the figure in the previous quarterly household survey which showed unemployment at 6.2% in the region. In addition, the numbers on the live register in south Tipperary fell from 3,733 in April 2004 to 3,275 in April 2005. The corresponding figures for Carrick-on-Suir show a reduction from 942 to 914, which reflects a positive trend.

FÁS is assisting those who are unemployed to join or re-enter the labour force by offering skills analysis, training and retraining programmes and a job placement service. A full-time local employment service office operates in Carrick-on-Suir. FÁS also sponsors a jobs club in the enterprise centre in the town. This latter initiative is aimed at increasing the skills levels of those concerned. The agency also works closely with the Carrick-on-Suir RAPID steering committee. RAPID is a special designation project for areas of high deprivation aimed at establishing innovative actions which aid growth and social and economic inclusion in the designated areas.

IDA Ireland supports two overseas companies in Carrick-on-Suir. While it has not hosted any recent site visits by prospective investors to Carrick-on-Suir, there have been 11 such visits to the surrounding area in the past 12 months. However, ultimately it is the investor who decides where to locate a project, including what areas to visit as potential locations. The announcement in May 2004 by Guidant Corporation of a 1,000-person job expansion at its Clonmel plant should have considerable knock-on benefits in terms of other investment and employment opportunities for people in the immediate vicinity and surrounding areas, including those living in Carrick-on-Suir.

Enterprise Ireland, EI, also continues to promote job creation in south Tipperary. Its job creation activity is focused on the creation of new jobs through supporting entrepreneurs setting up new high potential start-up companies, the retention and creation of new jobs in existing companies and on enhancing the innovation capability of Ireland at a national and regional level through support of research in companies and third level institutions. In the past three years, EI made payments of more than €4.5 million to client companies in south Tipperary to assist them with development projects.

Since its inception, the Tipperary South Riding County Enterprise Board, CEB, has assisted 40 micro-enterprises in the Carrick-on-Suir area and has provided more than €448,000 in grant assistance resulting in the creation of 67 jobs in Carrick-on-Suir.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

In addition to providing direct financial assistance, the Tipperary South Riding CEB also provides non-financial assistance such as advice, mentoring and a broad range of training programmes which are beneficial to either prospective entrants or established participants in the micro-enterprise sector. In the period since 1993, a total of 110 people from the Carrick-on-Suir area have participated in a range of management development courses held by the Tipperary South Riding CEB in Carrick-on-Suir, including courses in starting a business, web design, front office skills and information technology training. In addition, enterprises from Carrick-on-Suir have also participated in courses run in other areas of the region such as Clonmel. Any further initiatives in job creation should be addressed at local level in co-operation with the county development board where the industrial development agencies are already involved. This would be in line with the position adopted in other areas of the country.

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