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

I am engaged strongly with Enterprise Ireland, EI, and IDA Ireland to ensure that Irish jobs are protected, promoted and preserved. I am in ongoing communication with these agencies, and chair my Department’s Brexit co-ordination group which includes the chief executive officers, CEOs, of the agencies. Enterprise Ireland is working with its 1,500 clients who export to the UK studying the individual challenges faced by companies in every county in Ireland and also on a sectoral level.

From a strategic perspective Enterprise Ireland has a two pronged approach. It is working to assist companies to maintain and grow UK exports and extend their international reach, to diversify. It is also supporting companies in enhancing their competitiveness to protect and grow Irish exports and jobs. In this regard, EI is assisting clients in improving their processes to drive efficiencies and cost reductions and undertake research and development and innovation with a view to improving existing products and processes or developing new ones.

The Department has secured an additional €52 million, which is a 10% increase in capital funding for 2017, the largest increase in the past 15 years to support the enterprise sector and assist the agencies in their Brexit response, and on the current side I have secured an additional €3 million with a view to facilitating up to an additional 50 posts across my Department and the enterprise agencies.

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