Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and I compliment him on the superb job he is doing. I am pleased to support the motion.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the Government in 2011 was the level of job losses and the economic cost of it in terms of supporting people when they are out of work and the loss of tax revenue to fund various services like the health service. The Action Plan for Jobs was the Government's statement of intent to address the issue and create the environment in which overseas companies could invest in Ireland and indigenous companies could grow and prosper. The Government has worked tirelessly to repair our reputation internationally and many trade missions were undertaken by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, most of which were led by the Minister. The results were dramatic. Some 90,000 jobs were created since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012, of which 29,000 were created in 2014. The unemployment rate has reduced from 15.1% to 10% and the plan to create 100,000 jobs by 2016 will be achieved in 2015.

Much remains to be done and the Government has no intention of resting on its laurels. The revised action plan has some significant targets and it is good to see the recovery is slowly beginning to spread to the regions, although not all parts of the country have seen a drop in unemployment levels. A point I like in the revised action plan is that, by 2018, everyone who wants a job will be in a position to obtain one. This will see full employment by 2018 and 40,000 additional jobs will be created this year. The ambitious plan to attract 160 new foreign direct investment projects in Ireland is welcome. I also welcome the investment in 1,250 extra ICT places.

We all hope the plan to invest €3.6 billion under the State capital investment programme will spread jobs throughout the country and bring much-needed employment to some rural areas. The 18 planned overseas trade missions led by the Minister will hopefully be successful and I welcome the fact that the Minister is planning to support 945 participants on management development programmes in the coming year. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the lifeblood event of business in rural communities and we must do everything possible to support them and reduce the level of red tape and bureaucracy that makes life difficult for them. In the initial plan, red tape was to be reduced by 25%. Perhaps the Minister can comment on how the plan is going in that respect.

I would like to see an urgent roll-out of the new apprenticeship scheme in response to proposals from key sectors. We must be innovative about how we can quickly address the shortage of skilled personnel in many sectors of the economy. I hope many young skilled people who have gone abroad will return over the coming year to fill some of the shortages. Broadband in rural areas is a major issue and I am pleased to see action No. 52 of the revised plan promises a tender for the delivery of high-speed broadband to all parts of Ireland that cannot be served by commercial operators in 2015. Planning was also mentioned and action No. 221 commits to allowing An Bord Pleanála to accept electronic applications and appeals, which is to be welcomed.Community enterprise centres have made a great contribution to job creation, providing incubation and start-up facilities. There is one in my town of Ballinasloe, run by the Ballinasloe Area Community Development, which currently employs 190 people. I hope many of the businesses will grow and move from the centre and provide employment in our region. I am keen to see further investment in these centres. The Minister might clarify the position in respect of the funding of professional managers for these centres. One or two other centres may emerge if funding was put towards the provision of a professional manager.

Retail businesses, including small shops and pubs, are going through a tough time, in particular cash businesses. The banks are treating them appallingly. Recently in the Seanad I raised the matter of the prohibitive cost of lodging cash. Were it not for the credit unions, many of these small businesses would not survive.

I cannot let this opportunity go without welcoming the significant job announcements that have been made in Galway city and in some parts of our county in recent years. I very much welcome the Apple investment in Athenry, which, I hope, will draw in some further development. However, the east of the county is still an employment blackspot. The town of Ballinasloe has lost 1,000 industrial jobs in the past decade. I appeal to the Minister to keep the pressure on Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to market Ballinasloe as a fantastic location for industry. It is located in the centre of Ireland on the motorway, an hour and a quarter from Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport and Knock Airport. There is plenty of availability of land for industrial development. We have an excellent infrastructure for broadband and public transport. We have an available workforce, good schools, excellent recreational facilities and housing for families to locate there. This is an area that I am keen for the Minister to concentrate on.

Most people in the country aspire to have a well-paid job and to provide for their families. The Government needs to continue to focus on job creation and promoting a spirit of entrepreneurship. I urge the Minister to continue to support small business and to continue to facilitate further investment in tourism products and our greenways. We expect to have 7 million visitors in Ireland this year.