Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the number of green jobs that will be generated from the new jobs initiative. [11528/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Jobs Initiative, which was outlined to the Dáil on 10th May by the Minister for Finance, outlined a range of measures which will be taken to assist people to get back to work, stimulate the domestic economy and restore confidence in Ireland internationally.

As part of the Jobs Initiative, the Minister for Finance announced that an additional €30 million would be invested in the national Retrofit Home Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programmes this year. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Minister Rabbitte announced that this investment would be matched by a further €30 million in private sector investment, and would support an additional 2,000 jobs in 2011. This is on top of the 3,800 jobs already supported by the existing budget allocation for retrofitting.

Energy retrofitting is just one area where the potential exists for jobs to be generated in the green economy. Other measures announced in the Jobs Initiative, such as halving the lower rate of employer's PRSI until end-2013 on jobs that pay up to €356 per week, and incentives in the tourism sector, will help to promote jobs in green tourism.

Equally, the reform of the system of sectoral wage agreements offers scope to further generate jobs across the wider economy. I recently received the Report of the Independent Review of Employment Regulation Orders and Registered Employment Agreements, which indicates that the system requires radical overhaul to make it fairer and more responsive to changing economic circumstances and labour market conditions. I intend to announce details of this wide ranging reform in the coming weeks.

The new initiatives announced in the Jobs Initiative to help improve credit to business will further support the creation of jobs in the economy generally. I will develop a proposal with the Minister for Finance for a targeted partial loan guarantee scheme which we intend to have in place by the Autumn. This measure will be of particular help to the type of innovative companies that operate in the green economy. For every €400m that is guaranteed by the State an additional 4,500 companies can get further credit that will in turn create more than 8,000 jobs.

The Jobs Initiative was an important step in delivering the Government's objectives of restoring confidence in the economy, improving our competitiveness and facilitating job creation and retention. I am continuing to work, along with the enterprise agencies and with my colleagues in Government, to develop further initiatives in sectors which offer potential for job creation, including the green economy. Details of these initiatives will be announced in due course.