Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Action Plan for Jobs is a multi-annual strategy initiated in 2012 to ensure a cross-Government approach to optimising the environment for enterprise, such that a net additional 100,000 jobs will be created by 2016. Good progress is being made on the implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs 2014. Ireland's ranking in terms of competitiveness and ease of doing business continues to improve. The Central Statistics Office quarterly national household survey, as of the second quarter of 2014, shows that, seasonally adjusted, 1,906,300 people were employed, an increase of 33,500 on the previous year - approximately 2,800 jobs per month - and 68,700 from the first quarter of 2012, when the Action Plan for Jobs was launched

The 2014 plan contains 385 actions to be implemented in 2014 by all 16 Departments and by 46 agencies. Cumulatively to the end of the third quarter, 89% of those scheduled for delivery have been implemented. These actions cover delivery of supports for enterprise, actions to develop sectoral opportunities and measures that will strengthen the competitiveness and capacity of our economy to support job growth.

A series of cross-cutting disruptive reforms is being advanced in 2014. These include critical areas where we can win a competitive edge across many sectors, including big data analytics; ICT skills; integrated licensing application service, for which I have responsibility; trading online voucher scheme; energy efficiency; national health innovation hub; entrepreneurship; winning abroad; manufacturing; and national step change. Each is well advanced in implementation.

Some examples of important initiatives implemented thus far in 2014 include the launch of local enterprise offices; the launch of the Ireland's best young entrepreneur programme; additional staff in the overseas offices of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland; and record levels of new investment by Enterprise Ireland and IDA enterprises. We have launched a British-Irish visa scheme for tourist and business travellers. These are examples of some of the key wins in the context of the Action Plan for Jobs. It has been a very effective process since 2012 and we are seeing the results of its success.

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