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

I thank Senators O'Reilly and Gallagher for their contributions. I know the coming period is going to be difficult for the local workers at Rye Valley. As I have said, I will work to ensure all the supports of the State are made available to the workers affected by this. The best response is to continue to invest in programmes and policies that generate new jobs and to help those who are seeking work to be able to take up the available opportunities. There is no doubt that these policies are working. In 2012, there were 6,620 people on the live register in County Monaghan. Today, that figure has decreased by 53% to 3,105, which is a remarkable turnaround by any stretch.I take the point made by Senators that the number of IDA site visits to counties Cavan and Monaghan are too low. That is not a new problem but it is certainly one that I am determined to address. I know both Senators will support me in every way they can to address it.

Under this Government, the IDA has a strong commitment to increase foreign direct investment in each region by 30% to 40% including, of course, the Border region. In fairness to the IDA, it does absolutely fantastic work on a global basis in attracting investment to Ireland. I was at an event yesterday where 550 jobs were announced in two different locations by cutting edge international companies. The IDA does great work in attracting them into this country and while it will make every effort to show them the facilities outside of the city, they want to come to Dublin. To be honest, I would rather see them coming here than not coming at all. We need to say that very clearly. All foreign direct investment is very welcome and this is a wonderful country in which to do business. The chief executive of one of the companies said to me that the reason they are coming to this country is because of the highly-skilled workforce and the growing economy. They want to be part of the success of this economy. The company was emphatic about that.

Enterprise Ireland also had a record year in 2017. Enterprise Ireland supported companies employ 209,000 people and IDA client companies employ 210,000 people. Almost half of the new jobs created by IDA last year were outside Dublin. Some 64% of the new jobs created by Enterprise Ireland were outside Dublin. We are moving in the right direction. The latest figures from the CSO show that there are an extra 48,100 people at work in comparison to this time last year, with nine out of every ten new jobs being created outside Dublin. It is clear that a lot of good work is going on and that we are heading in the right direction.

I make no apology for standing here when we are speaking about a company in Monaghan and saying that I will have a strong focus on the Border region. I will be treating it as an area that deserves special attention through the different initiatives, the regional plans and the regional development fund. As I have said, one of my first acts as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation was to arrange a meeting with the four local authorities, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath and senior officials from Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and my own Department to discuss how we can drive job creation in the region and also to discuss how we can work on a collaborative basis. The food, mushroom, pig and engineering industries are all very strong in our area. It is a question of how we can support existing businesses and encourage new start-ups. The foreign direct investors are also looking for clusters and we have to show them the strength of what we have and that we have something special. I know we have that in counties Cavan and Monaghan, indeed right across the Border region. I am committed to that goal.

I have only been in the Department two months. Things take time, but I will be working towards that goal. My door will be open to anyone who wants to assist in driving that agenda. I understand that Brexit will present challenges but it will also present opportunities. I want to use this opportunity to say to our indigenous industries that they should get in touch with the local enterprise office and Enterprise Ireland. There are many supports out there to help them prepare for the risks that Brexit will present. They must identify the risks in their companies, mitigate for the risks by diversifying the markets and investing in research, development and innovation. One thing that has been found is that companies that invested in innovation during the difficult years of the downturn were the ones most likely to survive. Companies need to be Brexit ready and ensure they remain competitive. There are supports out there and I ask them to please use every opportunity to avail of the services that Enterprise Ireland in particular and the local enterprise offices have put in place.

I thank the Senators for raising this matter.