Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge he has raised this matter with me a number of times. It also has been raised on the floor of this House. I am aware the economic crisis hit job numbers in the south east badly, with the loss of 37,800 jobs between 2007 and 2012. However, through the focused collaborative approach and a range of reforms delivered in the region in recent years, the unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 20.1% in 2012 to approximately 12.5% in early 2016. Although it has fallen and is down at 12.6%, I am aware it remains above the national average and the Government must work on that. At present, 204,400 people are at work in the south-east region, which is an increase of 23,100 over the period from 2012 to 2016. Over the past three years, employment growth in the region has increased at a faster pace than the national rate of increase. While the current unemployment rate in the south east still is too high, these figures demonstrate the overall trend is one of steady recovery.

I will work relentlessly with the various agencies and stakeholders in the region to ensure this trend continues and that jobs continue to be created. The regional action plans for jobs initiative for the south east and the other seven regions is a concrete example of the targeted approach the Government is undertaking boost regional employment. The core objective of the plan is to have a further 25,000 people at work in the south-east region by 2020. The plan is being monitored and driven by an implementation committee comprising representatives from the enterprise sector, the local authority, the enterprise agencies and other public bodies in the region. The south-east regional plan contains several key actions that will be delivered over the period from 2015 to 2017. These include completing the construction of the new technology and industrial buildings in Waterford and Carlow, establishing the new regional skills forum, developing the world-leading sectoral clusters and ecosystems and continuing the development of the technological university in the south east. I intend to visit the region to meet stakeholders and the Deputy, please God, to ensure plans are being implemented in the region. I expect the first progress report of the south-east plan to be published in the third quarter of this year.

The implementation of the regional plans is being supported by a fund of €250 million to be provided to Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. On 1 June, I announced an initial allocation of €5 million in competitive funding for 48 local and regional initiatives under two competitive calls, the first being the local enterprise office, LEO, competitive fund and the second being the community enterprise initiative. In the south-east region, six projects involving LEOs were successful under the LEO competitive fund and a further four projects were successful under the community enterprise initiative. On a national level, I remain committed to growing employment through the 2016 national Action Plan for Jobs process now and in its fifth iteration. I will continue to work with the enterprise agencies to ensure targeted actions are taken to improve the employment and enterprise environment in the region.

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