John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I may not be able to do that and I will tell Deputy the reason. I am aware of the proposal to which he referred. I understand the process is being led by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. I welcome the development of support infrastructures for enterprise development from any quarter. The development in this case does not fall under the jurisdiction of this Department. The reason is simple. The Deputy asked what we know about this development. To date, the Department has not received any application. It would be foolish of me to give the Deputy a detailed analysis as to what is happening with regard to that particular development. My officials informed me today that the Department has not received any application from the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority.

The Deputy may be aware that the Minister has made available three successive rounds of funding under the Department’s regional enterprise development fund, totalling €105 million. This fund is aimed at supporting the development and implementation of collaborative and innovative projects that can sustain and add to employment at county, regional and national level. Applications to the fund must be from either a designated activity company, DAC, or a company limited by guarantee, CLG. I will explain that to the Deputy if wishes. To date, Dublin has received €9.3 million in funding through calls 1 and 2 of the REDF. The most recent round, a €45 million call 3 of the REDF, has closed and applications are being evaluated. The Minister will announce the successful projects on conclusion of the evaluation process in due course. Should the Government, through Enterprise Ireland, be in a position to launch further rounds of the REDF, the project promoters in this case may wish to consider applying for this competitive funding, subject to the project meeting the eligibility criteria for participation.

The Minister launched the Dublin regional enterprise plan last February, with strategic objectives focused on availability of skills and talent; increasing enterprise engagement in research, development and innovation; building a pipeline of sustainable start-ups; and enhancing the attractiveness of Dublin as a place to live and invest.

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