Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 243: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which he has monitored job losses in the manufacturing and service sectors by county in each of the past 12 months to date in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21386/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 245: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason most commonly given for business failure leading to job losses by county on a monthly basis in the course of the past two years and to date in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21388/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 245 together.

The data requested by the Deputy in relation to the numbers of job losses in the manufacturing and service sectors by County, by month and the reason most commonly given for business failure leading to job losses by County and by month is not collated by my Department or the agencies under its aegis.

With regard to the monitoring of potential job losses, in agency-assisted companies, my Department operates an internal early warning system based on material provided on a confidential basis by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development. The system relies on information initially provided by clients of the agencies to their respective agencies and then in turn to my Department. While this system helps to identify certain companies that are experiencing difficult trading conditions, it is not an indicator of business failures or job losses.

The industrial development agency figures for jobs lost are compiled annually in the Forfás Annual Employment Survey, the most up to date of which details job loss figures up until 2010. The figures are in respect of job losses in firms assisted by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development, which come under the aegis of my Department. Details of the agency figures for job losses in 2010 are set out in Table A below.

Statistical information in respect of the County and City Enterprise Boards is collated annually and figures in respect of 2011 will be available in early 2012. Data in respect of job losses in CEB-supported client companies for 2010 is set out in Table B below.

In relation to the reasons cited for business failure, Enterprise Ireland has advised that in respect of its client companies only, the most commonly stated reasons for business failure, on the basis of qualitative data analysed for the period July 2009 to June 2011 include:

- Significant decreases in customer/market demand due to the recession in Ireland and key trading partners;

- Financial Difficulties (insolvency, bankruptcy, bad debts, inability to raise finance);

- Increased competition from competitor companies (in some cases exacerbated by volatility in exchanges rates);

- Loss of key customers; and

- Rationalisation/Consolidation/Restructuring of Group structures involving the closure of a company unit.

Redundancy notifications from companies relate to possible redundancy situations and therefore these do not provide information concerning all the job losses that actually occur. On 1 January 2011, the Department of Social Protection assumed responsibility for making redundancy payments from the Social Insurance Fund. Statistics in relation to actual redundancies by sector and by area are published by that Department on its website each month at www.welfare.ie.