Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will be aware that the staffing levels for each Department and its associated offices and agencies are determined by an employment control framework agreed with the Department of Finance in accordance with the Government decision on reductions to be achieved in civil and public service numbers over the period to end 2012. In allocating staff resources under the employment control framework I gave a particular priority to ensuring that Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland had the necessary staff numbers to deliver on their crucial role of supporting enterprise and job creation.

In the case of the IDA, I am pleased that the staffing arrangements have been finalised and the agency has confirmed to me that the levels of staff agreed will enable it to achieve the targets set out over the next five years. In the case of Enterprise Ireland, the agency has indicated its overall satisfaction with the numbers allocated to it under the employment control framework. I am pleased to confirm that Enterprise Ireland has received sanction to fill 12 priority posts that have been identified as critical to the efficient delivery of services.

Working with other Departments and agencies, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA aim to increase the number of new, export focused jobs by more than 150,000 with a similar number of indirect jobs also being created, increasing the value of exports by indigenous companies by 33% and securing an additional 780 inward investment projects through IDA Ireland.

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