Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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96. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which his Department continues to monitor the issues likely to encourage new job creation and maintain existing employment throughout the economy in all regions throughout the country with particular reference to the availability of relevant, infrastructural services; the extent to which such infrastructure continues to be readily available here compared with overseas jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12694/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government recognises that the availability of competitively priced world class infrastructure (energy, telecoms, transport, waste and water) and related services are critical to supporting enterprise development, and in turn, job creation. My Department and its agencies monitor the issues relevant to job creation and retention – including the infrastructural needs of enterprises - through regular engagement with the enterprise sector.

I have also met with a number of key stakeholders recently to discuss a range of issues on the supply of vital services for enterprise, including property, water, electricity and telecoms. The National Competitiveness Council also considers issues relating to the availability of infrastructure and makes recommendations in its annual Competitiveness Challenge Report, which I present to Government before publication. Ireland has made significant investment in infrastructure in recent years and has improved its ranking in terms of the quality of its overall infrastructure. The World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report ranked Ireland 26th out of 148 countries for the availability of infrastructure.

The Action Plan for Jobs process, which was introduced in 2012, aims to create a supportive operating environment in order to maintain existing jobs and grow employment across all sectors and regions. Since the Plan's introduction, the Government has implemented over 500 actions to support job creation. A number of these actions have addressed infrastructure issues. This year's Action Plan for Jobs was launched on 27 February and contains a number of further commitments on infrastructure investment to underpin economic growth. IDA Ireland will also commence building new advanced manufacturing facilities in Athlone and Waterford and office space in Letterkenny this year.

Overall responsibility for the provision of infrastructure falls under the remit of a number of other Ministers. However, issues related to the availability of necessary infrastructure throughout the country are regularly discussed at meetings of both the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Jobs, and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Infrastructure, which I attend.

While Ireland's economic infrastructure will continue to be developed, our existing infrastructure is already of sufficiently high quality to attract world class Foreign Direct Investment here. Ireland is home to 8 of the top 10 US ICT companies, 8 of the top 10 Pharmaceutical companies, and 15 of the top 20 companies in medical devices. Moreover, 50% of the world's leading financial services firms and 5 leading internet companies are based here, proving that Ireland compares very favourably to overseas jurisdictions for infrastructural services.