Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs created and the investment by job creation agencies for each year since 2000 for Drogheda, Dundalk, Ardee and rural parts of County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20128/06]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs lost each year since 2000 for Drogheda, Dundalk, Ardee and rural parts of County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20129/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 166 and 167 together.

Data on employment in agency supported companies is recorded at county level. The tabular statement that follows this response gives the figures of full-time jobs created and lost in Co. Louth from 2000 to 2005 in companies supported by the enterprise development agencies. Job creation and job losses are a feature of economic development in all countries as various sectors expand and contract in response to market demand for goods and services, competitive forces, restructuring and technological change. State support for enterprise and job creation is channelled through the industrial development agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Both Agencies are actively promoting and encouraging new investments and jobs for County Louth and are also working with existing clients in the county with a view to helping them expand and or move their activities up the value chain.

Enterprise Ireland's investment in client companies in Co. Louth 2001-2006 (end April) totals almost €10m invested in 190 individual company projects. In addition Enterprise Ireland provides a range of services from technology and HRD support to access to our international office network to facilitate companies intelligence gathering and strategy formulation. The tabular statement that follows this reply gives the totals of payments to Enterprise Ireland client companies between 2001 and 2006, taken at the end of April. While figures are not yet available in respect of 2005, between 2000 and 2004, IDA invested, through grant payments, in excess of twenty two million euro in companies in County Louth. IDA Ireland will continue to actively market County Louth for Foreign Direct Investment. Among its investments in the County are:

∙Drogheda Business Park where the first 23,000 sq ft office building is now substantially completed;

∙serviced offices at Knockbrack House on Matthews Lane, Drogheda;

∙Finnabair Business Park, Dundalk, in which it has recently invested circa €5 million and on which a new 30,000 sq ft office facility was completed in 2005, a further 30,000 sq ft building will be completed in August 2006 and a third is at an advanced stage of construction;

∙Its strategic site at Mullagharlin, Dundalk where it is due to invest heavily in capital works during 2006 to make the site available for bio pharma and other process related activities.

IDA also markets property provided by private developers in the County. In addition, Louth County Enterprise Board (CEB) was established in October 1993 to provide a source of support in the Louth area for small businesses with 10 employees or fewer. From 2000 to 2005 Louth CEB has paid out over €1.4m in grant aid to 172 projects in Co. Louth which has assisted in the creation of 504 jobs in the region. The Board has also organised 128 training programmes over the same period in which 1,536 people participated. I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by the Development Agencies in Louth, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development will bear fruit in terms of additional sustainable investment and jobs for the people of Louth.