Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in view of the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Government for the support of electricity generated by wind energy from the State, the plans that are in place to attract wind turbine manufacturing companies here to set up new operations and the progress being made on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9037/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in the Energy Sector between my colleague Mr Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and Mr Edward Davey, the United Kingdom Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, is a very welcome development and provides the confidence and assurance to those in the wind energy sector that Ireland is open for business and is clearly a destination for investment.

The Memorandum of Understanding is an important step in a long process of attracting investment in this sector, and provides the scale necessary to attract elements of the wind energy supply chain to Ireland with subsequent additional employment opportunities. I have been informed by IDA Ireland that it is actively engaged with a number of overseas target companies in relation to establishing operations in Ireland. Many of the employment opportunities will be realised by local, Irish owned companies and IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are working closely together to maximise the benefits and employment potential that is inherent in this opportunity.