Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 122: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures which are being taken by his Department and the agencies which report to him to attract jobs to the north Dublin area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11465/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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, FDI, to this country. As part of its strategy to attract FDI to Dublin, IDA Ireland works with its existing client base in Dublin to encourage them to expand and diversify into higher value added goods and services. The agency also provides modern property solutions with supporting infrastructure to potential clients.

Under existing EU regional aid guidelines, RAGs, IDA clients investing in the Dublin region can receive grant assistance up to a maximum of 17.5% of eligible expenditure. Overall, the region has now attained sufficient critical mass in terms of population, its skills base, infrastructure offering, enterprise base and economic activity that it can attract and sustain business investment independent of grant support. As a result, IDA's policy is to utilise grant support in the Dublin region on a selective and exceptional basis.

In 2005 there were a total of 68 first-time site visits to Dublin, while in the same period, four additional IDA supported companies announced the creation of over 650 jobs in the following areas, Swords, Hartford Financial Group and Palm Global Operation, Eastpoint, Yahoo, and Blanchardstown, Qlogic.

Enterprise Ireland, which is the agency with primary responsibility for the promotion of indigenous industry, works closely with third level colleges in encouraging the commercialisation of research. The agency has supported the development of business incubation space in Dublin City University, Blanchardstown Institute of Technology and in the National College of Ireland. Under the community enterprise centres schemes, Enterprise Ireland supported centres in Coolock, Darndale and in the north city centre.

Since the beginning of 2005, Enterprise Ireland has approved over €33 million and made payments of over €27 million in support of development projects throughout the region. Figures from the 2005 Forfás employment survey indicate that at the end of 2005, there were 4,033 people employed in 196 Enterprise Ireland client companies in Fingal and 23,508 people in 1,048 client companies in Dublin city.

During 2005, the Fingal County Enterprise Board and the Dublin City Enterprise Board paid out just over €1 million in grant assistance. In 2005 there was a total net increase in enterprise board-assisted employment of 212 jobs in the area covered by both boards.

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 in terms of additional investments and jobs and I am confident that this will continue to be the case into the future.