Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he continues to monitor the employment creation needs of Tallaght; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21711/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of job creation is a day-to-day operational matter for the industrial development agencies and relevant County Enterprise Boards, and not one in which I have a direct role.

IDA Ireland informs me that it continues to market South County Dublin, including Tallaght and its environs, as a potential location for new foreign direct investment (FDI), in order to secure new investment and additional jobs for the region.

IDA Ireland's strategy for the Dublin area is to attract and expand major FDI projects, moving up the value chain. South County Dublin is well equipped to compete with other areas for potential foreign direct investment, with superb infrastructural facilities at Citywest and Grangecastle, and a third level Institute of Technology at Tallaght.

Sectors such as Lifesciences, including pharmaceuticals, provide high value employment. In 2005 the Japanese pharmaceuticals company Takeda Chemical Industries completed construction of its facility at Grangecastle, Clondalkin. Greencastle is within easy commuting distance of Tallaght, and the plant will employ over sixty people upon completion. This is a significant and important investment from a leading company in Japan, and will highlight Ireland as a key location for other such Japanese investors in the future. Also in Grangecastle, the pharmaceutical company Wyeth Biopharma has established the world's largest biopharma campus facility investing €1.8 billion. Wyeth currently employs over 1100 highly skilled people and will eventually employ 1,300 at the facility in Grangecastle.

I am also informed by IDA Ireland that planning permission has been approved for an advance integrated circuit manufacturing and research facility at Grangecastle. This will be an invaluable tool for the future marketing of Grangecastle as a potential source of high quality and large scale employment for the population of South County Dublin.

Enterprise Ireland works with companies in its portfolio to assist them grow their sales and exports and improve innovation in order that they can compete on world markets. The Agency is encouraging companies to adopt new technologies to add value to their products and services. Since the beginning of 2003 Enterprise Ireland has approved over €8.046m and made payments of €6.79m in support of development projects for indigenous companies in South County Dublin.

Enterprise Ireland is also actively involved with the provision of infrastructure to facilitate business development and employment. The agency has provided funding for the development of Community Enterprise Centres in South Dublin such as Brookfield, Bolbrook and Killinarden. These centres provide incubation space for start-ups and micro enterprises, and also provide ancillary services such as training, mentoring and customised courses to address the needs of the local clients.

Also Enterprise Ireland supports the development of business incubation workspace as part of its on-going commitment to fostering links between colleges and industry, and has approved €2.54m in capital support as well as €0.157m in support of a Centre Manager for the development of incubation space at the Tallaght Institute of Technology. It is anticipated that graduates from the college or members of research teams based in the college will be to the forefront in using the centre, and in creating new jobs, particularly in the high tech sectors. The Centre is expected to be in operation in 2007.

Enterprise Ireland has also approved €1.22m to provide a Centre of Excellence in the Institute of Technology Tallaght in relation to the development of microsensor devices for clinical analysis, leading to high level multi-disciplinary research collaboration between ITT Dublin and the medical device/diagnostic industry.

The South Dublin County Enterprise Board (CEB) is pro-actively involved in the development of indigenous enterprise in the south Dublin area, which includes the Tallaght region. The CEB provides a source of support for small businesses with 10 employees or fewer. During 2005, south Dublin CEB approved a total of €384,500 in grant assistance to 14 projects, which resulted in the creation of 18 net jobs in CEB assisted companies throughout the region.