Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad I can assure the Deputy that there will be money spent this year. We recognise the need for this. The Government has proved that the Action Plan for Jobs process has worked very successfully and has delivered nationally. That is acknowledged across the board. It brings all Departments and agencies together to focus on key areas of job creation. The regional version will try to copy that and make sure it works on the ground locally just as well.

It is a five year strategy and the money will be spent each year. The key is to get the applications in, which is happening. The meetings have worked on the ground. I do not know if the Deputy was at any of them but he certainly welcome to go to them, as is everyone. There are great initiatives and I am very impressed by some of the applications coming through. The idea is to get regions to concentrate on where they can best achieve excellence and create jobs. The figures show that there has been a reasonable spread of jobs over the last year or two through Enterprise Ireland and IDA outside of Dublin and the main cities. We are seeking to build on that through a focus on local initiatives.

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