Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will consider a strategy initiative to increase the potential of call centre development here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31926/12]

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons employed in the call centre industry here; the value of this industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31927/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 307 and 308 together.

In the Action Plan for Jobs 2012, the Government has identified a number of key sectors where Ireland can gain competitive advantage in global markets, including the area of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) which takes in call centres. Ireland has an opportunity to operate as a Centre of Excellence for BPO and Shared Services –

specifically targeting key knowledge intensive services and building domain expertise, e.g. Community Management & Analytics (games), Document Management Services for regulated sectors, Contract Research Outsourcing and Legal Process Outsourcing.

The customer contact industry continues to be an invaluable source of employment creation from multinational companies locating in Ireland across a range of industry sectors including finance, IT, life sciences and e-commerce. As an increasingly important component in the way companies differentiate themselves, the customer contact centre has evolved into a multi-functional, multi-lingual environment, an early adaptor of new digital technologies and servicing a global customer base. According to the Contact Centre Management Association of Ireland (CCMA), which has carried out research (published in 2011) into the role of contact centres throughout Ireland, the sector employs more than 29,000 people, with a spread of over 100 contact centre operations nationwide. CCMA findings show very positive results against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate and emphasise a focus on growth and business retention within the sector.

IDA Ireland has a value proposition to attract customer support companies to locate in Ireland as part of its overall strategy to attract FDI. This strategy has proven successful and Ireland is now home to a broad range of companies based in different industries servicing multiple markets. Examples of such companies include Google, Facebook, Lufthansa, Cook Medical, Hertz, EMC, Merrill Lynch, EA Games and Riot Games. Recent announcements by Paypal and Zenimax further endorse the successful strategy being pursued by IDA Ireland.

Many large scale indigenous firms have 'in-house' contact centres to service their customer base. These include firms such as VHI, Aer Lingus, UPC and range from small scale to larger scale. They offer services direct to consumers ranging from reservations, to problem solution, cross selling and up-selling. In addition, a number of indigenous call centre operations have grown substantially in the last ten years. Enterprise Ireland currently supports 14 Irish companies in the space that employ approximately 4,000 people.