Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Michael D'Arcy for raising this issue. In the aftermath of the closure of TalkTalk last year I established a special group to focus on the south east because I recognise that it faces serious problems. The structural rate of unemployment is much higher than elsewhere and the wave of investment which preceded the Celtic tiger years passed the region by. The problem is not solely one of IDA companies, however. The issue of regional development is broader than what at the end of the day comprises less than 8% of the total workforce nationally. We must consider how best to utilise the region's many strengths and get the various groups to work together.

In the context of the action plan for jobs, Senator Michael D'Arcy and I recently attended a meeting to discuss progress in the south east. While everyone recognises the significant problems that persist in the region, we have made an impact. The IDA has paid much more attention to the south east, with the number of visits to the region increasing to 33 from 13 in the previous year. IDA companies made three visits to Wexford, in addition to two visits by foreign companies under the food rubric of Enterprise Ireland. This compares to a total of two visits over the previous five years. While the number of visits could be said to be low, it is a dramatic improvement on what was previously the case.

The Senator acknowledged the welcome announcement by Eistech. We need to examine sectors in which it is possible to develop regional strengths. We have seen that with Eistech, which is an aggressive, growth-oriented company led by dynamic people. The company was established a mere 12 months ago with nine employees but it now employs 400 and is committed to employing an additional 250 in the south east. This is the sort of indigenous company we need to nurture and grow.

While we will continue to focus on investments by IDA companies in the south east, we must also build the region's strengths and nurture indigenous enterprise. As part of the action plan for the south east, all of the agencies have examined their existing portfolios of companies to determine whether they had the capacity for expansion, and some did. We also investigated the new start-ups and allocated competitive start-up funds. These companies have generated new projects which we hope to develop further as job-creating projects. This is a broad-based strategy and, while I acknowledge there is a long way to go, we are seeing a real effort by the agencies and a focus on an area that must contend with structural problems. With the collaboration of agencies in my Department, along with education institutions and local authorities, we will build a coherent response to the challenges in the south east. That is my ambition and I will continue to meet local representatives from the area to maintain focus, register progress and enlist the support of a wider range of groups in the south east.