Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The development of new regional enterprise plans falls within the remit of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. A total of nine plans are being developed by his Department for each region, which will run until 2024. I understand that these are expected to be published in the near future.

The plans are massively important for achieving balanced regional development by ensuring that regional strategies are aligned with the national ambitions for enterprise and employment growth as outlined in Project Ireland 2040 and the national recovery and resilience plan. The plans will drive sustainability and quality job creation in the regions, facilitating each region to achieve its economic potential through bottom-up, collaborative initiatives based on each region's strengths and opportunities. The publication of the new plans will also fulfil a commitment in Our Rural Future 2021-2025, the national rural development policy developed by my Department collaboratively across Government. This engagement continues through the implementation of Our Rural Future 2021-2025.

In terms of engagement with the development of the new regional enterprise plans, my Department has played an active role. Officials from my Department are members of the national oversight group and also sit on steering committees for the development of the new regional enterprise plans in a number of regions. I welcome the forthcoming completion of the plans and I look forward to further engagement regarding their implementation over the coming years.

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