Tom McEllistrim (Kerry North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 446: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans he has in place to attract more jobs for north Kerry; if Tralee is lagging behind other comparable towns in the country in terms of job creation in the past four years; when he expects the liquified natural gas storage facility on a land bank between Tarbert and Ballylongford to be up and running; the stage the project is at. [39054/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Support for job creation and investment in individual counties and towns is a day-to-day operational matter for the development agencies as part of their responsibility under the Industrial Development Acts. While I may give general policy directives to the agencies I am precluded under the Industrial Developments Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving preference to one area over others.

In general, the strategies in place by the enterprise training and development agencies for the County revolve around growing the existing FDI client base, attracting new investment, promoting the indigenous sector, encouraging entrepreneurship and small start-up companies and the provision of training for the unemployed and those in work.

Employment in agency-assisted firms is recorded by the Forfás in their annual Employment Survey but this data are only captured at county level and the latest year for which data is available is 2005. The total number of people employed in agency-assisted companies in County Kerry at the end 2005 was 6,453.

Kerry Technology Park is a Shannon Development initiative in co-operation with the Institute of Technology Tralee and in partnership with IDA Ireland, Tralee Urban District Council, Kerry County Council, and the private sector. At the end 2005 there were 16 companies operating from the Park, employing 220 people — an increase of 55 over 2004. This increase was spread across a number of companies, all of which operate in the knowledge based business sector.

The focus of IDA Ireland is on the linked Hub towns of Tralee and Killarney as designated under the National Spatial Strategy. There are eleven IDA supported companies operating in North Kerry employing 1,026 people in permanent jobs; 9 of these companies are located in Tralee. Employment in IDA supported companies has demonstrated relative stability in recent years, with growth of 8% during 2005 in North Kerry. The Agency is also working closely with existing clients in Kerry to encourage them to expand their operations. A total of 1,368 new jobs were created in IDA assisted companies in Kerry in respect of each of the years 2000 to 2005.

Kerry County Enterprise Board's 2006 budget allocation stands at over €900,000, which is 17.8% higher than the allocation provided to the Board in 2005. This increase enables the Kerry Board to maximize entrepreneurial development in the micro-enterprise sector throughout the north Kerry region. From January 2006 to-date the Board has paid out over €240,000 in grant assistance to 27 businesses based in the County and has assisted in the creation of 51 jobs.

In May 2006, I announced that Shannon Development had entered into an "option-to-purchase" agreement with Shannon LNG, in relation to 281 acres of the 600-acre Shannon Development owned land bank between Tarbert and Ballylongford, County Kerry. Under the agreement, Shannon LNG, an Irish subsidiary of Hess LNG Limited, is proposing to build a €400 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal on the site.

Subject to feasibility studies, technical assessments and, in due course, planning and other approvals, the Shannon LNG project has the potential to provide over 40% of Ireland's gas requirements. Shannon LNG has commenced its programme of technical assessments and feasibilities studies. It is anticipated that Shannon LNG will apply for planning permission in 2007, and, subject to planning approval, work should commence in 2008 with the terminal becoming operational in 2011. The terminal could provide about 50 long-term permanent jobs, along with additional support jobs and around 350 construction jobs at its peak.

I am confident that the strategies being pursued by the development agencies will continue to deliver sustainable jobs for the people of Kerry, including Tralee. The Construction of the Metropolitian Area Network in Tralee, which is scheduled to begin by year end 2006, will further enhance the attractiveness of Tralee and the North Kerry area for new investment and jobs.