Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation continues to be a key policy priority of mine and this Government.

Throughout 2021, my Department has overseen the development of nine new regional enterprise plans to 2024, including for the west, which covers counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. These plans are developed by regional stakeholders who are keenly aware of the growth opportunities and vulnerabilities in their region. The west regional steering committee continues to be chaired by Ms Evelyn O’Toole, founder and CEO of Complete Laboratory Solutions. Steering committee members include Enterprise Ireland, the LEOs, regional assemblies, local authorities, higher education bodies, the Western Development Commission and others, all of which are focused on creating and sustaining employment opportunities in the region. I was pleased to lead out on the west in the Department.

Following a review of the outgoing regional plan to 2020 and consideration of future thematic areas of focus, the steering committee and stakeholders in the west participated in a virtual consultation event to contribute to the focus and development of the new plan. The new regional enterprise plan for the west is a result of the work of these stakeholders and their in-depth engagement across the region. The plan will contain a set of objectives and related actions to be delivered by the end of 2024. These objectives are complementary to and support existing Government and agency initiatives.

The regional enterprise plans to 2024 are currently being finalised by my Department and it is intended that the west regional enterprise plan will be published and launched in March this year.

The Department has approved in excess of €126 million in funding nationally since 2017. To date, the west region has secured almost €19 million of that. We are finalising a new significant source of funding to drive implementation of the nine new regional plans. I expect we will announce details on new regional funding shortly.

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