Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Again, the ambition and the focus has to be to work with companies and to encourage more and more companies to take on international markets. That is the win-win for Ireland and that is where we can create more sustainable jobs. In any of our policy interventions, and I think most businesses get this, we have to also recognise there is a displacement issue. If there are four or five businesses trading domestically, all beside one another, grant-aiding one with direct financial grants can displace jobs in the other, so we always have to be mindful of that. When we sit down and have this conversation with businesses, they recognise that. That is where the ask is and our response has been how we can help them on the competitiveness journey, the green journey and on digitalisation, working with their skills and with their staff.

That is open to companies of all sizes, so I would encourage any company out there to engage. I often hear that companies regret leaving it too late to engage with the local enterprise offices. I would say that from day one, no matter who they are, what they are or what company they are in, right from the start, they should have that conversation with the local enterprise office. It is the signpost that will direct them to all the various supports across many Departments and Government agencies that can assist business. When we talk to them, many businesses had not realised some of the supports that are there, even through the Departments of Education and Social Protection and the Pathways to Work scheme. There are many supports for companies trading domestically and internationally. We want to work with them and to assist them on that competitiveness journey, and to assist them to be able to upskill their staff and create more jobs, which we need.

To be clear, as a Department, we also recognise that we cannot take this for granted. At this current time, we are at a high employment level. We want to build on that and work on that, and work with those companies in a regime that is supportive of job creation, which I do not always hear from Members in this House.

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