John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The aim of the Government is to ensure that every region can achieve its economic potential and that the benefits of the recovery are felt in every region, county and community in the country. Significant progress has been made in the Dublin region. Since the national action plan for jobs was launched in 2012, more than 70,000 additional people are back at work in Dublin. This compares with job losses of 90,000 in the period from 2008 to 2011.

The process of rebuilding the capacity of all the regions was started with the roll out of eight regional action plans for jobs during the past year. The action plan for the Dublin region was launched last January. The plan aims to increase employment in the Dublin region by between 10% and 15% over the period to 2020, resulting in the delivery of 66,000 additional jobs to the region in that period. Key sectors targeted as part of the plan include areas like technology, financial services, life sciences, manufacturing, tourism, retail, "smart cities" and the creative industries.

The plan will be monitored and driven by an implementation committee comprising representatives from the enterprise sector, the local authorities, enterprise agencies and other public bodies in the region. Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in the plan's development and will be central to its delivery.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

By supporting SMEs, continuing to attract foreign direct investment and providing assistance to start-ups to grow and develop, we will see our recovery take hold which will result in improved standards of living for the people of Dublin.

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