Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to bring forward proposals in relation to developing the digital gaming industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28830/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government identified digital gaming as a sector with high potential for jobs growth in the coming years. The global games sector is expected to increase in size from 59.3 billion US Dollars at present, to 82 billion US Dollars by 2015. Ireland is well placed to capture a share of this market and we could potentially create an extra 2,500 jobs in the sector within three years.

Over the last two years, we have seen over 25 new names enter the games landscape in Ireland, including leading global games companies such as EA/Bioware, Zynga, Big Fish, Activision and Popcap. We have a strong cohort of new Irish entrepreneurial companies in the sector and a number of our indigenous companies have achieved global recognition, including Havok, Demonware and Jolt Online. Last April, I asked Forfás to prepare a report for me on the potential of the games industry in Ireland. The Forfás report "The Games Sector in Ireland – An Action Plan for Growth", was presented to me in the last few weeks and was published last Monday, 10th October.

The report sets out the opportunities for growth in the sector in the next few years and identifies actions which need to be taken to underpin and accelerate growth in the longer term. The report confirms the potential that exists for Ireland to fully assert itself as a global games hub for the 21st century. The games sector can also be a catalyst for growth in the wider digital economy in related activities such as animation, TV/Film production, advertising, e-learning and the range of support services that are now an integral part of the games landscape.

The Forfás report contains a number of recommendations covering six key areas:

· Building a cluster within the sector here in Ireland.

· Enhancing skills and experience to support the industry as it evolves.

· Building international visibility of the Irish games sector, highlighting what companies can achieve here in Ireland.

· Accelerating growth in creative development activities.

· Driving R&D and Innovation, and

· Delivering robust and cost competitive broadband to underpin growth.

Success for Ireland in the games sector, however, is not a given – many other countries are pursuing aggressive strategies in developing the sector as a significant contributor to economic growth. We will need decisive action, both on the part of Government and the industry itself, to anticipate the future direction of the industry sector to respond appropriately. The industry has an important role to play by continuously upskilling its staff and through active engagement with Third Level educational institutions to ensure the relevance of courses they provide. Career opportunities in the sector also need to be promoted.

I will be considering the Forfás report in further detail with a view to identifying the most effective means of implementing the actions outlined in the report and I will work with my Government colleagues to deliver on these actions. The full report on the Digital Games sector is available on Forfás's website, www.Forfas.ie.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will publish the plans and proposals prepared by the Industrial Development Agency Ireland for increased actions and activities in the south-east region due to be completed by 12 October 2011; the action he will take on these proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28869/11]

Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress being made on a jobs strategy for the south east; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28651/11]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will consult with stakeholders in the south east in relation to the plans and proposals prepared by the Industrial Development Agency Ireland for increased actions and activities in the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28870/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 17 and 23 together.

As the Deputy is aware, following the Talk Talk closure announcement, I held a series of meetings with company management, workers, public representatives and business. The message from local stakeholders was very clear in that Waterford has not benefited from the advances in the good times and it has been badly affected in the more difficult times of late. On foot of that, I instructed my agencies to put together an action plan for Waterford and the South East region to look at the areas they can intensify, at the way the region is being supported and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the area. There was a sense that there needed to be this sort of hard analysis as to why Waterford and the Region, with the strengths it has, has not been more successful.

The agencies have now reported back and I am considering their responses with regard to how best to address the specific employment problems affecting the South East. I consider this course of action more appropriate than establishing a Task Force given the timeframe of the site closure, the need for swift action and the fact that a large amount of analysis has been undertaken in the past. When I have completed my considerations, we will look afresh at what action can be taken and whether there are further deeper issues, which need to be assessed in some other way. I am determined to give Waterford the priority it correctly deserves. We need to take a hard look at this to see how we can better support enterprise in the South East and set out the actions we can take in the near term and in the longer term.

As the various reports from the State agencies include commercially sensitive information, I will not be able to publish them as received. However, it is my intention to make known the additional activities and plans for enterprise support when I complete my considerations.

I acknowledge the support of Cabinet colleagues, in particular Ministers for Social Protection and for Education and Skills who responded immediately. FÁS and the Department of Social Protection staff immediately engaged with Talk Talk workers. The Minister for Education and Skills indicated that work on the proposal for a technological university, which is to be explored as part of the programme for Government, is being accelerated. Clear criteria will be developed for that opportunity, which arose in discussions. The Minister for Education and Skills has submitted an application under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to assist the workers that have lost their jobs.

While it is clear that Ireland is operating in a very difficult economic environment, there are still investment opportunities in global markets and IDA will continue to compete vigorously for projects for Ireland and for the South East. In particular, IDA has begun marketing the Talk Talk facility and the skillsets of the workers internationally.

Jobs are at the very top of this Government's agenda, and if we are to achieve the turnaround in employment that we so badly need, we must implement radical reform across every aspect of the economy. I have spoken before about the need for an innovation revolution – a revolution that brings innovation out of the laboratories and into our businesses, our communities, our schools, our public bodies and every aspect of our economy.

We must broaden our strengths over and above the reliance on the traditional foreign direct investment that has served us so well. Within the multinational sector, we must seek to attract international entrepreneurs to start businesses in Ireland, and must strive continually to encourage the world-leading companies already here to locate the pioneering parts of their businesses here. However, we must also recognise that our indigenous companies have the potential to significantly increase their exports, and do what it takes to create a real indigenous engine of growth.

We must learn from the world-leading companies that we have attracted to Ireland and find ways of ensuring that our indigenous companies can lead the world in the vital processes that add value and create employment: productivity, design, management and research and development. If we are to bring about these types of changes, we need a plan, and that is why I have committed to prepare a comprehensive Jobs Strategy. This Strategy will not attempt to compete with the large number of reports already prepared on this subject, but will draw from the volume of material already available, as well as the level of expertise available both in Ireland and abroad. I have already started a rolling process of engagement on the issues and intend to create an action plan that Government can take to address our challenges.

The Strategy will aspire to:

· Create over 200,000 jobs to have 2 million people at work again

· Be the best country in which to run an enterprise

· Significantly increase the share of our indigenous business in export markets

· Return to and stay in the top five countries for cost competitiveness; and

· Ensure once again that all our children can have a future in Ireland.