Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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383. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the recommendations or agreements reached to enhance co-operation and limit competition between Invest NI and Industrial Development Agency Ireland with respect to attracting inward investment. [45693/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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One of the principal statutory functions of IDA Ireland is to promote the establishment and development, in the State, of industrial undertakings from outside the State. On the other hand, the remit of Invest Northern Ireland, an agency sponsored by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland, is to support new and existing businesses in that region to grow and compete internationally, and to attract new inward investment to Northern Ireland. It should be appreciated that both IDA Ireland and INI are confined in their grant giving powers to funding investments within their own jurisdictions and, in the pursuit of internationally mobile Foreign Direct Investment (FDI,) each agency must operate on an individual basis for their core marketing work.

However, IDA Ireland, recognising the opportunity to pursue mutually beneficial cross border co-operation on aspects of economic policy and infrastructure/spatial planning, does cooperate with Invest Northern Ireland on a number of initiatives in the context of regional and all-island economic development. Both agencies also share a strategic focus on attracting companies from the targeted sectors of ICT, Financial Services and Clean technologies.

One of the success stories of this co-operation between the two agencies is the jointly developed the North West Business and Technology Zone (NWBTZ). The fundamental aim has been to capitalise on the combined strengths of Letterkenny and Derry City as an economic corridor. The focus has been on developing compatible infrastructure and property solutions, which are now in place, and make the Region more attractive for investment.

The North West NOW project involved a total investment of €35.25 million in Letterkenny, of which IDA committed to a direct investment of €15.2 towards Advanced Technology and Office Buildings, construction of Letterkenny Outer Relief Road and improvements in telecommunications infrastructure including the installation of the Letterkenny Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). Overall the joint project has drawn down €10 million in EU Interreg IIIA funding (IDA €4M and Invest NI €6M) toward the required development of property solutions and research facilities.

The North West NOW initiative provided the catalyst for Eircom, Bytel and BT to invest independently in the telecoms infrastructure between Letterkenny and Derry. Consequently the telecoms infrastructure and capacity has been improved significantly.

Also arising out of the work of IDA and INI was the development of Project Kelvin, which is the first direct International Communications link of its kind into the North West of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It has been a cross-border venture, costing €43m, between the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) for Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for Northern Ireland (DETI NI) and co-financed by the European Union (€32.25m) to construct a direct international telecommunications link between North America, Europe and the North West of Ireland. The North West of Ireland, including Letterkenny now has access to the same international services as found in major cities including Dublin, London, Amsterdam and New York.

The economies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both have a highly educated workforce and IDA Ireland highlights this competitive advantage to prospective investors. The skills available on both sides of the Border are presented to potential investors as a key competitive advantage of investing in the Border region of the island of Ireland. Up to 15% of IDA Ireland client companies in the Border region employ staff living in Northern Ireland. One of the factors which influenced Paypal in deciding to make such a major investment in Dundalk in early 2012 was the availability of a pool of skilled staff, in the large catchment area incorporating both sides of the border from which it could recruit.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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384. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his assessment of the potential savings to be made through an island-wide job creation and growth strategy. [45694/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Action Plan for Jobs process has been shared with my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive. I am glad to say that there is positive on-going engagement between my Department’s enterprise agencies and their Northern Ireland counterparts. Both sets of agencies are aware of each other’s offerings and they collaborate closely, where appropriate, on schemes and programmes that will result in job creation and growth throughout the island.

There is also on-going engagement between my officials and their counterparts in Northern Ireland, in particular in relation to the activities of InterTradeIreland, the all-island trade and business development body. InterTradeIreland operates a wide range of innovative programmes designed to develop linkages and cooperation between SMEs in various sectors and to build on relevant strengths to the benefit of both jurisdictions.

However, it would not be feasible to undertake an assessment of an overarching all-island job creation and growth strategy. Northern Ireland has its own economic and growth strategy and a separate currency and monetary/ fiscal policies. Naturally, both jurisdictions will continue to cooperate and work together in key economic sectors, especially through the structures of the North South Ministerial Council and the bodies created under the Good Friday Agreement, where possible, for mutual economic benefits and job creation opportunities.