Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new jobs the Industrial Development Agency created in County Kerry in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and to date in 2011; if he is satisfied with the IDA's performance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20148/11]

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the plans or proposals the Industrial Development Agency has to replace the jobs lost in County Kerry to date in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20149/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together.

The Forfás Annual Employment Survey reports on job gains and losses in companies that are supported by the industrial development agencies. Data is compiled on an annualized basis and figures for 2011 will not be available until the end of the year. The survey shows that in the four year period, 2007 to 2010 inclusive, there were a total of 350 new jobs created in IDA supported companies in County Kerry. Details of the number of new jobs created in each of those years are set out in the tabular statement.

IDA Ireland continues to promote Kerry for new inward investment across the ICT, International Financial Services and Globally Traded Business sectors. In line with the National Spatial Strategy, the Agency concentrates its efforts on the linked hub locations of Killarney in South Kerry and Tralee in North Kerry. At then end of 2010, there were 15 IDA Ireland supported companies in Kerry employing 1,313 permanent staff. Regrettably job losses occur every year for a variety of reasons including changing competitiveness, competition from sister sites, product and technology lifecycles or global location rationalisation as a result of mergers and acquisitions. In selecting locations to show companies, IDA Ireland seeks to include locations which have been affected by closures/job losses. While IDA Ireland seeks to influence the selection of location, the final decision on location is taken in all cases by the promoting company.

IDA Ireland continues to promote Kerry for new inward investment across the ICT, International Financial Services and Globally Traded Business sectors. In line with the National Spatial Strategy, the Agency concentrates its efforts on the linked hub locations of Killarney in South Kerry and Tralee in North Kerry. At then end of 2010, there were 15 IDA Ireland supported companies in Kerry employing 1,313 permanent staff. Regrettably job losses occur every year for a variety of reasons including changing competitiveness, competition from sister sites, product and technology lifecycles or global location rationalisation as a result of mergers and acquisitions. In selecting locations to show companies, IDA Ireland seeks to include locations which have been affected by closures/job losses. While IDA Ireland seeks to influence the selection of location, the final decision on location is taken in all cases by the promoting company.

John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps each of the State agencies in his remit are undertaking to promote job creation in Dublin north-west; the number of innovation vouchers awarded to companies in this constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20152/11]

John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to develop innovation hubs in Dublin north-west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20154/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 110 together.

Job creation is central to our economic recovery and the Programme for Government has job creation at its core. The role of my Department is to ensure that we have the right policies in place that will support and grow our enterprise base in order to facilitate job creation. The Jobs Initiative announced in May focuses our limited resources on measures that offer the greatest potential for expansion and employment creation in the domestic economy. Additionally, it has a significant focus on tourism, and the reduction in the VAT Rate, along with the abolition of the travel tax will provide an important stimulus to tourism businesses in Dublin.

The programmes supported by my Department and its agencies will be critical in achieving economic growth through promoting the export potential of enterprise in Ireland and driving our Smart Economy. The allocation of €508 million in funding for 2011 will ensure that the core programmes of the enterprise agencies are sustained and targeted as well as driving investment in research and development. This investment in the Enterprise Development agencies will drive recovery in the economy by facilitating the winning of foreign direct investments, the growth of indigenous exports and the creation of sustainable jobs.

The primary role of IDA Ireland is the attraction of high quality foreign direct investment to Ireland. Dublin has a variety of high quality manufacturing and office buildings in business parks that are owned by both IDA Ireland and private developers. They are strategically placed throughout the City region and are capable of providing immediate property solutions. In terms of attracting foreign direct investment, Dublin has been a success story with a critical mass of population, skills pool, educational infrastructure, international access connections, ongoing business activity across all sectors and extensive property solutions for future activity. In 2010, there were 481 IDA supported companies operating in Dublin while employment in IDA supported companies in the Dublin City Region stood at 48,465. In that regard, North Dublin now confidently hosts world-class companies such as Citibank, Hertz, eBay, Pay Pal among many others. Recent announcements include decisions by PayPal, Marketo and Symantec, which have the potential to create 150 jobs at PayPal, 125 jobs at Marketo and 60 jobs at Symantec.

The role of the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) in the Dublin area is to provide a source of support for micro-enterprise in the start-up and expansion phases, to promote and develop indigenous micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate economic activity and entrepreneurship at local level. During 2011, the CEBs will continue to support enterprise development through the provision of both direct financial assistance and through indirect or "soft support" assistance such as management development capability support and the development and delivery of activities to highlight and promote enterprise. During 2010 the Dublin City Enterprise Board, which encompasses the Dublin North West area, issued almost €755,000 in grant assistance to 79 clients and provided training assistance to over 1,479 participants, as well as providing a range of business advice and mentoring services.

Enterprise Ireland will continue to support job creation through a number of interventions, such as supporting the establishment and growth of high potential start-up companies and supporting companies to target new opportunities in overseas markets. Enterprise Ireland has 1,055 client companies in Dublin City employing 22,235 people on a full time basis with a further 4,187 people on a contract or part time basis. North Dublin has a wide selection of enterprise space to cater for micro enterprises and start-up enterprises including Community Enterprise Centres. To date, 255 Innovation Vouchers valued at €5,000 each have been awarded to companies on the North side of Dublin in order to help them explore new commercial ideas or source innovation solutions to business problems in higher education institutions.

Enterprise Ireland's campus incubation programme provides a protective environment on third-level campuses where new companies can grow significantly in their formative years. To date, DCU and its Invent Centre has received €2.3m, of which €1.65m went towards business incubation space and €0.65m towards more specialised "bio space". At present, there are in the region of 15 enterprises in the centre employing about 70 people. In addition, the "Invent" centre has been funded over €1.9m by Enterprise Ireland in order to support the employment of technology transfer professionals in the centre.

In 2008, Enterprise Ireland approved over €1m in funding towards the development of IT Blanchardstown's incubation centre, to assist start up businesses. The funding was used to assist the college in providing extra incubation space within the Institute's Learning and Innovation Centre (LINC).

John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs in companies in Dublin north-west that are being supported by Industrial Development Agency grants; the companies involved; their location in the constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20153/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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In terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), Dublin has been a success story with a critical mass of population, skills pool, educational infrastructure, international access connections, existing business activity across all sectors and extensive property solutions for future activity.

I am informed by IDA that data is provided on the Dublin City Region as a whole and is not broken down by area. At the end of 2010, there were 481 IDA client companies employing 48,465 people located in the Dublin City Region. Dublin traditionally has been a centre for manufacturing industry for FDI but in recent years there has been a shift away from manufacturing to more knowledge-based higher value-added projects in fund management, e-Commerce, Software and high-end back office functions. To date in 2011 there have been a significant number of investment announcements for Dublin with the potential to create over 1,000 jobs. Details are set out in the tabular statement.

Announcements in Dublin 2011