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

My Department and the agencies under its remit provide supports at a policy and operational level to safeguard Irish jobs and exports, including in the context of Brexit. These include: the development of the annual action plan for jobs and regional action plans; contributing to EU policy development advocating for further strengthening of the Single Market, with access to 450 million customers, and bilateral trade agreements between the EU and third countries giving us global reach for our exports; continuing to focus on competitiveness through the National Competitiveness Council which will include a focus on Brexit in its forthcoming challenge report; and on the ground supports by Enterprise Ireland and local enterprise offices, LEOs, to help Irish companies to start, scale and export.

Enterprise Ireland is working with companies to increase exports to the UK and to diversify into other markets focusing on improving company competitiveness and capability. IDA Ireland is actively pursuing opportunities for mobile investment and has just launched a new global marketing campaign, Ireland Right Place Right Time, with additional funding provided by my Department. There is a 10% increase in the capital budget for my Department for 2017 which will help to ensure that the agencies are well-positioned to deal with the challenges that Brexit presents for their clients.

Enterprise 2025 sets a roadmap for longer-term enterprise development. While it remains relevant in terms of its focus on the resilience of the enterprise base, I have asked my officials to review its progress and identify additional actions or changes necessary in light of more recent global challenges, including Brexit.

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