Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he has granted approval for the appointment of a new north west regional manager of the Industrial Development Agency in order to fill the currently vacant post; if not, if he will confirm that it is his intention to approve the request for an exemption; the date by which he proposes to give his decision on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29443/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA is an autonomous Agency set up by statute with a mandate to attract foreign direct investment in manufacturing and internationally-traded service industries into Ireland, and to support new and existing FDI operations 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 total number of staff employed by IDA is not fixed and varies from time to time depending on the resources available to Government and the requirements of the Agency. 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.

Against this background, the Government is however determined to facilitate the delivery of the industrial employment and other targets in the current IDA Strategy. To achieve this, IDA is amongst those who have been approved, in recent times,through consultation with my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to fill mission-critical vacancies that would otherwise have remained vacant under the moratorium. I am glad to say that one of these posts has been that of North West Regional Manager based in Sligo. I have been informed by IDA that a competitive process in underway to fill this post.