Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 298: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the value of preference and ordinary shares held by Enterprise Ireland in companies which it supports. [21879/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The value of preference and ordinary shares held by Enterprise Ireland in companies which it supports amounted to €169.8m as at 31 December 2010.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the volume and value of grants or preference share and equity investments which were redeemed and refunded to Enterprise Ireland in the years 2007 to 2011 as a result of disposals, closures, reorganisations, restructuring or failure to comply with the terms of the grants. [21880/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The volume and value of grants or preference share and equity investments which were redeemed and refunded to Enterprise Ireland in the years 2007 to 2011 as a result of disposals, closures, re-organisations, re-structuring or failure to comply with the terms of the grants are set out in the following attached.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 300: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff directly employed in the Industrial Development Agency and Enterprise Ireland; and if this will increase or decrease in the years. [21881/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 315: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will contact the Department of Finance to endorse a request from the Industrial Development Agency for an exemption from the recruitment embargo for the purposes of appointing a new IDA north west regional manager; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22564/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 316: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will meet with the Industrial Development Agency to discuss the continuation of the Industrial Development Agency Letterkenny office in County Donegal as an office with direct responsibilities for working to attract new investment to the north west region and for managing the IDA north west regional operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22565/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 300, 315 and 316 together.

IDA and Enterprise Ireland are autonomous agencies set up by statute with a mandate to support the development of new and existing manufacturing and internationally-traded service industries in Ireland, so as to maximise the related industrial employment, output, exports, economy expenditures including wages, and corporation tax contributions.

As with all Departments and agencies, the number of staff is not fixed and it varies from time to time depending on the resources available to Government and the requirements of the mission concerned. In recent times, the Government's financial position is of course particularly difficult, and a moratorium on the filling of vacancies arising in all Departments, Offices and agencies has been in operation since early 2009. At present, a comprehensive review of all Government expenditure is in train for completion later this year and to inform Government decisions on spending, including on staff numbers in Departments and agencies, in 2012 and later years. In this context, it is not possible to say if staff numbers in particular departments, offices or agencies will increase or decrease in future.

Against this background, the Government is however determined to facilitate the delivery of the industrial employment and other targets in the current strategies of IDA and Enterprise Ireland. To achieve this, both agencies are amongst those who have been approved, through consultation with my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in recent times to fill mission-critical vacancies that would otherwise have remained vacant under the moratorium. I am satisfied that the currently approved staff numbers available to both agencies are sufficient to deliver on their strategies for the coming period.

Within these overall demanding constraints, the management and location of IDA staff is a day to day operational matter for the agency and not one in which I have a direct function. I understand from the IDA that its Letterkenny office is not closing. IDA has sought Department of Finance sanction for a new North West Regional Manager. In Letterkenny, IDA will maintain its office and staff employed there. IDA will continue to maintain two offices in the North West region.