Written answers

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Job Creation Issues

Photo of Ciara ConwayCiara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the action he will take to tackle the high unemployment rate in Waterford, combined with the Industrial Development Authority figures that the South East was the only region to record a record decline in the number of people employed in IDA supported companies in what was a record-breaking year for the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36932/12]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In relation to IDA Ireland, that Agency’s strategy specifies a target of attracting 50% of all Foreign Direct Investment into locations outside Dublin and Cork. Its strategy for the South East Region, of which Waterford is the Gateway, is to: market the Region to overseas clients in order to secure new investments; support the growth and development of the Region’s existing client base by working with them to transform their business in the Region in order to create additional employment and sustainability; and to Ensure that the supporting infrastructure is in place to attract FDI.


To date in 2012, there has been a significant increase of IDA site visits, 21 in total, to the South East Region, illustrating IDA’s focus on the Region. By early this year, there were 62 IDA supported client companies in the South East Region, employing c.11,600 people and the Agency is actively engaged with all its existing base of companies in the region, highlighting the on-going importance of up-skilling and re-skilling and the need to add high value activities in order to ensure their on-going development and sustainability for the long term.


A recent significant investment announcement in the South East Region was the official opening in February 2012 of the first phase of the €23 million Belview Strategic Water Supply Scheme, which will facilitate industrial development and job creation in Kilkenny and the South East. The total investment for this phase of the scheme is €13m of which a significant amount was provided by IDA Ireland and the balance by Kilkenny County Council and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.


In accordance with the South East Employment Action Plan, which I initiated following the closure of the Talk Talk Call Centre, all the key State players are actively pursuing initiatives to facilitate development and job creation in the region. I travelled to Waterford in June last to meet the members of the South-East Forum and I was heartened to hear of the progress being made. In addition to the work of the IDA, as listed above, I was pleased to hear of many developments which had been achieved since the publication of the Action Plan.


Foremost amongst these has been that Enterprise Ireland has supported the establishment of the Eishtec Call Centre in Waterford city, where employment had reached 230. This is a very significant achievement and other recent initiatives by Enterprise Ireland in the region included the approval of 14 high quality projects under their competitive feasibility fund, 12 companies being been approved for Graduate Placement. 5 Community Enterprise Centres having been approved for funding for full-time business development managers and a high take-up of the EI Innovation Voucher scheme in Waterford.


The enterprise development agencies will adopt a ‘Spotlight on Waterford and the South East Region ’ to the end of 2012. Other bodies had also made considerable progress, with FAS training services having provided training for about 5,000 people and that Agency also undertaking a wide range of other training initiatives. Several tourist initiatives are underway in the region and Science Foundation Ireland have funded 8 research awards to Waterford Institute of Technology. The two local County Enterprise boards, in the city and county, have created 59 new jobs and the South East Regional Authority has secured EU funding for a number of enterprise and innovation-focussed projects.


I fully appreciate that much needs to be done to tackle unemployment in the Waterford region. On a national basis, the Action Plan for Jobs, introduced earlier this year, sets out a series of clear actionable measures to support the creation and retention of jobs. The objective of the Action Plan is to create the environment where 100,000 net new jobs can be created by 2016 and to have 2 million people at work by 2010.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.