Written answers

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Job Creation

5:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he proposes to take measures to encourage job creation in view of a downturn in this area in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8390/08]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since 1997, over 500,000 new jobs were created in Ireland and the number in employment now exceeds 2 million. There was a net gain of 1,115 jobs in agency assisted full time jobs in 2007, including Udaras Na Gaeltachta, with a further 2,200 net jobs created by the CEBs. Looking to the future, two of the Government's main tasks are to ensure that Ireland remains an attractive place to do business and to support the development of economic competencies higher up the value chain. Therefore we continue to enhance our framework competitive conditions, promote new areas of competitive advantage by developing our R&D base, invest in critical physical and communications infrastructures and promote tertiary education and lifelong learning, in line with the NDP and the Programme for Government. Over the period of the new National Development Plan the Government will provide €3.3bn investment specifically to support the development of the enterprise base in addition to NDP investment in infrastructure and skills. Critical to the delivery of that investment are the activities of the enterprise development agencies of my Department, namely Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Shannon Development and the County Enterprise Boards.

Enterprise Ireland (EI) recently launched their new strategy, 'Transforming Irish Industry 2008-2010'. This builds on the strong progress made in the past three years and focuses on driving growth and internationalisation, increasing Irish innovation, growing companies of scale, gaining growth and competitiveness in existing and emerging sectors and driving growth in services.

EI works with approximately 3500 Irish-owned companies who employ over 150,000 people and spent approximately €17bn in the domestic economy in 2006. Success in their new strategy will ensure that EI continues to stimulate growth in Irish enterprise.

Shannon Development works with 110 companies, employing over 7,000, at the Shannon Free Zone. The company has continuous engagement with this client base, encouraging expansion activity and the creation of new opportunities for economic growth.

In 2007 a total of 945 projects were approved for direct financial assistance from the County Enterprise Boards while a total of 927 projects received grant aid. In 2008 the Capital allocation for the 35 CEBs stands at over €20m. This investment is augmented by the provision of a range of other important business supports such as mentoring, business training and business advice all of which help to stimulate indigenous enterprise creation.

Based on a healthy pipeline of prospective new projects, IDA is confident that Ireland is well placed to secure significant investment going forward from key target sectors such as Pharmaceuticals, Biopharmaceuticals, Medical Technologies, International Services, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Financial Services and Digital Media.

Proof of our national evolution as a significant 21st century knowledge economy is evidenced in the sophistication and complexity of the investments secured from leading corporations into Ireland. Investments such as Microsoft's €360m EMEA Data Centre in Dublin and the new pharmaceutical development centre by Wyeth Medica in Newbridge bear testament to this fact. I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by the development agencies under the remit of my department will continue to bear fruit throughout the country.

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