Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons to date that have received payments under the Connect Ireland initiative; the total amount that has been paid out; the largest payment to a person; the estimated number of jobs that have been created under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24740/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The “Succeed in Ireland” initiative is managed by Connect Ireland under a contract with IDA. The initiative provides for the payment of a “finder’s fee” to anybody who acted as an “introducer” to a foreign company which subsequently established an internationally traded service in Ireland. The reward scheme provides that IDA will pay up to €4,000 ex VAT per sustainable job created. A “sustainable” job is defined as a job that has been in place for 2 years.

Since the launch of the initiative in 2012, 6 projects have been approved with the potential to create 165 jobs. As fees are payable only in respect of a job that has been in place for 2 years, no payments have been made under the Initiative to date.