Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way he intends to tackle regional disparities in job creation across this State; and in particular the steps being taken to promote job creation along the border corridor. [20899/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The achievement of balanced regional growth is a core objective of Government. Promoting entrepreneurship, attracting inward investment and facilitating the key infrastructural needs of Irish enterprise across all regions is vital to ensuring a vigorous pipeline of new business leaders, new business ideas and entrepreneurial activity. The Action Plan for jobs is a whole of Government, national strategy aimed at creating and sustaining jobs across all regions of the State.

The objective of balanced regional development is supported by the EU Commission's Regional Aid Guidelines, which recognise that some regions can face significant structural disadvantage. The Guidelines permit member states to grant higher investment aid to these areas. Under Ireland's current Regional Aid Map, the highest rates are afforded to the Border, Midlands and West (BMW) region.

Under the Action Plan for jobs, the establishment of a one-stop-shop to provide micro enterprise support through the dissolution of the existing CEB offices and the creation of a new network of Local Enterprise offices (LEOs) will ensure an enhanced delivery of support to micro enterprises in the regions in question and nationally.

Specifically in relation to the regions in question, Enterprise Ireland's network of offices includes Sligo, Letterkenny and Dundalk. This regional spread allows the agency to drive take-up of its services and supports such as entrepreneurship programmes focused on identifying new business opportunities, at a local level, thereby maximising take up and impact.

It is worth noting that over the last four years, Enterprise Ireland supported 64 High Potential Start Ups in the Border, Midland and West Regions region (17 in 2008; 16 in 2009; 13 in 2010 and 18 in 2011).

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of additional jobs targeted for creation in the fields of cloud computing, electronic gaming, financial services, construction and retail over the next three years. [20888/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The sectors referred to by the Deputy are amongst those areas identified in the Action Plan for Jobs as sectors where Ireland can realise jobs growth. The objective of the Action Plan is to support the creation of 100,000 net new jobs over the period 2012 to 2016.

In general, specific targets have not been set for each of the individual sectors. The Action Plan envisages that 20,000 new additional jobs can be created in manufacturing, and 30,000 in internationally traded services, over the next five years. An additional 50,000 indirect spin-off jobs can be created over the same period.

However, various studies have identified the jobs potential in some key sectors. For example, a study carried out by Goodbody Economic Consultants for Microsoft Ireland suggests that Cloud Computing has the potential to create more than 8,000 jobs within the ICT sector by 2014. A Forfás study on Digital Games estimates that employment in this sector could double from 2,500 to 5,000 by the end of 2014. The Strategy for the International Financial Services industry sets an objective to increase employment in this sector by 10,000 by 2016. Employment in the construction and retail sectors has been particularly affected by global economic downturn. However, Government investment in infrastructure under the Capital Programme will support in the region of 30,000 jobs in construction in the period to 2016.

The Action Plan for Jobs sets out specific measures to realise the jobs potential in each of these sectors. However, the challenges facing each sector are also identified. Ensuring that all of the measures in the 2012 Action Plan - and in the Action Plans for subsequent years - are implemented will provide the best means of ensuring that employment opportunities are maximised in each sector.