Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding investment and job creation projects for the north side of Dublin in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33723/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Industrial Development Acts, support for job creation and investment on a regional or local basis comes within the remit of the industrial development agencies and I am precluded from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving preference to one area over another. IDA Ireland is the agency charged with the attraction of foreign investment to this country. The IDA has had considerable success in attracting FDI to north Dublin over the years and at the end of 2004, the last year for which figures are available, 23,420 people were employed in 251 IDA supported companies in north County Dublin, including the city. During 2005 four additional IDA supported companies announced the creation of more than 650 jobs in the following areas: Swords — Hartford Financial Group and Palm Global Operation; Eastpoint — Yahoo; and Blanchardstown — Qlogic.

Enterprise Ireland, EI, which has primary responsibility for the promotion of indigenous industry, reported that at the end of 2004, 4,037 people were employed in 204 EI companies in Fingal and 24,998 in 1,115 EI companies in Dublin city. Since the beginning of 2005 EI has approved €17.15 million and made payments of more than €13.2 million to support development projects for indigenous companies in Fingal and Dublin city. The Fingal County Enterprise Board and the Dublin City Enterprise Board are responsible for the development of the micro-enterprise sector in the Fingal and Dublin city areas. Between January 2005 and the end of October 2005, the Fingal County Enterprise Board and the Dublin City Enterprise Board provided €858,513 in grant assistance to 92 projects in the region.

Enterprise Ireland has also invested significantly in community enterprise centres in the north of Dublin city to support the establishment and expansion of micro enterprises through local community participation. Under the community enterprise centres urban scheme, centres were supported in Coolock, Darndale and the north city centre — the Liberty Corner enterprise centre. The Coolock and Darndale centres are occupied and construction of the Liberty Corner centre has just been completed. I am pleased that the strategies and policies being pursued by development agencies are producing real and sustainable results for the people of north Dublin city and county in terms of additional investments and jobs and I am confident this will continue to be the case in 2006 and beyond.