Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 118: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the role his Department will take in working against so-called ghost communities where there is a paucity of local employment, as warned against by Chambers Ireland in their submission on the National Development Plan 2007-2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17880/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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County and City Development Boards have been established in each county to improve co-ordination and delivery of public services at local level and all 34 CDB Strategy Statements have been published. It is in such a forum that issues like long-term commuting or poorly paid local employment experienced by so called "ghost communities" or "ghost economies" would normally be addressed. In so far as my Department and its enterprise development and training agencies are concerned they are actively participating on these Boards to address local development issues with their particular focus on active labour market measures, investment promotion, fostering entrepreneurship, company start-ups and expansions. The agencies also work closely with a wide range of other local organisations such as third level educational institutes, private sector developers and utility providers etc. to achieve their goals.

The pursuit of the national goal of balanced and sustainable regional development is also an important goal for my Department and its development agencies, which are operationally independent. The National Spatial Strategy provides a framework for this goal wherein the focus is on the Gateway and Hub locations throughout the State. However smaller locations can sometimes also be appealing to potential investors who may wish to locate some functions away from the main centres of population and the development agencies, in particular IDA Ireland, will encourage and facilitate such investments at every opportunity. Local bodies in smaller communities can help in making their areas more attractive for investment. In supporting the marketing of individual areas, regardless of size, I believe it is important to think big and sell the positives rather than highlighting negatives such as "black spots" and "ghost communities". Ultimately the decision regarding where to locate investments and job is a matter for individual investors.

IDA Ireland's experience of dealing with overseas investors is that companies will often only consider larger centres that have the scale, infrastructure and services capable of sustaining their investment. The agency is optimistic in regard to job creation from new and expansion projects in 2006. Such projects not only bring high wage jobs but also have knock-on benefits in other sectors such as supply, distribution and transport, thus creating further investment/employment opportunities for local people in the immediate vicinity and surrounding areas. Similar knock-on benefits would arise in the case of indigenous companies supported by Enterprise Ireland. The main vehicle for supporting local enterprise is the network of thirty-five County and City Enterprise Boards that were established nationally in October 1993. Their primary role is the promotion and development of micro-enterprise and entrepreneurship at a local County level. In this regard, therefore, project promoters within any County may seek assistance from their local CEB and, subject to certain qualifying criteria, may receive either financial or non-financial assistance in the form of business training, mentoring etc. The focus of the CEBs is increasingly on the development of sustainable growth-orientated local enterprise which will deliver high quality job creation, without displacement or deadweight, and which may, in time, have sufficient mass to access and avail of the services of Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland provides support towards the development of Community Enterprise Centres throughout the country through its CEC scheme. Community Enterprise Centres support entrepreneurs and start up businesses by providing much needed workspace for local micro enterprises, which facilitates the development of employment opportunities at local level. I believe the strategies and policies being pursued by the Department and its Agencies are and will continue benefit to local economic development, both directly and indirectly.