Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the efforts that will be made to bring jobs to County Kerry (details supplied). [21135/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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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 both job creation and job retention. The Jobs Initiative announced on 10 May focuses our limited resources on measures that offer the greatest potential for expansion and employment creation in the domestic economy. The initiative has a significant focus on tourism and the reduction in the VAT rate and the abolition of the travel tax will provide an important stimulus to tourism businesses in Kerry and around the Country.

IDA Ireland promotes Kerry for new inward investment across the ICT, International Financial Services and Globally Traded Business sectors. As well as attracting new foreign direct investment, IDA works closely with its existing clients in Kerry to encourage them to expand their operations in the County. IDA continues to market all available land and buildings in the county including its Business & Technology Park at Tiernaboul, Killarney. In Tralee, IDA is also marketing the Kerry Technology Park, which is owned and managed by Shannon Development in partnership with the Institute of Technology Tralee. In selecting locations to show companies, IDA Ireland seeks to include locations, which have been affected by closures and job losses. While IDA Ireland seeks to influence the selection of location, the final decision is taken in all cases by the promoter. At present there are 15 IDA Ireland-supported companies in Co. Kerry employing more than 1,300 people.

Enterprise Ireland continues 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. At present there are 133 Enterprise Ireland client companies in Co. Kerry employing more than 3,000 people in full time jobs. In 2010, Enterprise Ireland paid out over €3.2m in financial support to its client companies in Co. Kerry. In addition, the agency has been providing support to six community enterprise projects since 2006. The agency aided the development of the Tom Crean Centre in the Institute of Technology Tralee, which currently houses 19 start-up businesses. In addition, the Shannon ABC - Applied Research Enhancement Centre in the Institute of Technology Tralee, received funding from Enterprise Ireland and has a total of 23 industrial collaborations to date.

The role of Kerry County Enterprise Board 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. Business growth, job creation and retention are central to its activities. Since its inception in 1993 to end 2010, Kerry CEB has issued almost €7.1m in grant assistance to 888 clients. So far this year, Kerry CEB has paid out over €173,000 in grant support to 32 micro-enterprise project promoters in the County, with an associated job creation figure of 31. There are approximately 1,300 people employed full time in companies assisted by Kerry CEB. Throughout 2011, Kerry CEB will continue to be actively involved in the economic development of the County and will be actively engaged in supporting job creation and retention through its range of supports to the micro-enterprise sector.

In regard to regulation, the previous Government committed in 2008 to reducing administrative burdens by 25% by 2012. The work to reduce administrative burdens on business in Ireland is being progressed on two fronts. The High Level Group on Business Regulation, chaired by Minister of State Perry, works to fast-track simplifications to specific red-tape issues identified by business. In addition, an interdepartmental group of officials from all Departments, having regulation affecting business, co-ordinates the measurement and reduction of administrative burdens in a systematic manner, based on the internationally recognised standard cost model. My Department has already reduced measured burdens by 22%, or 90% of the target to be achieved, which is an annual saving of almost € 187 million. I expect that I will be in a position to announce the initiatives that will make up the remaining 3% before the end of the year.