Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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31. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the implementation of the action plan on jobs; the most recent figures from the exporting sector; if he will provide a breakdown of those sectors that are witnessing a return to growth; the number of new start-ups by region; the latest information on consumer confidence here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12012/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Since the Action Plan for Jobs was introduced in 2012, the Government has implemented over 500 actions to support job creation across all Government Departments and a significant number of State agencies. The 2012 Action Plan for Jobs contained 270 actions and 92% of these were delivered by the end of that year. The 2013 Action Plan contained 333 actions and had a 90% implementation rate. Those commitments which were not implemented on schedule in 2012 and 2013 were carried forward to the subsequent year’s Action Plan, or replaced with more targeted measures.

A key strength of the Action Plan process is its cumulative impact – each year’s Plan builds on measures which have been initiated in the previous year. The 2014 Action Plan for Jobs was launched on 27th February and builds on the actions contained in the 2012 and 2013 Plans. It contains 385 actions for delivery across all Government Departments and 46 agencies. The Action Plan process is underpinned by a robust monitoring system, with quarterly reports published on progress against key milestones. All of the Progress Reports since the commencement of the Action Plan for Jobs process are available on my Department’s website, www.djei.ie.

The latest QNHS data shows that employment has increased in ten of the fourteen economic sectors classified by the CSO. The largest rates of increase were in:

- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, which saw an increase of 26,800 jobs;

- Accommodation and Food Services, which saw an increase of 17,400 jobs; and

- Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities, which saw an increase of 13,000 jobs.

These are all sectors which have been identified as having potential for jobs growth under the Action Plan for Jobs process. Smaller increases were recorded in other sectors, including Industry, Health and Social Work activities, Education, and Administrative services.

Ireland’s goods exports in 2013 showed a robust performance, and the figures for December 2013 showed an 18% seasonally adjusted increase over December 2012. In 2013, the Agri-food sector continued to perform well and exports of food and live animals were up 8%, with exports of dairy products increasing by 15%. This performance shows the quality and competitiveness of our agri-business sector and the capacity of that sector to support export-orientated employment across the regions.

The services sector also continued to perform particularly well, and comprised almost half of Ireland’s exports in 2012. Services exports reached a record level of €90bn in 2012, when our services sector recorded a trade surplus for the first time. The value of our services exports continued to grow in 2013, with the latest available figures, for September 2013, showing a 4% increase on September 2012. I understand that updated trade figures are due to be published by the Central Statistics Office today.

I am not in a position to provide complete data on the number of new start-ups by region, but Enterprise Ireland offers a range of financial and non-financial supports to assist clients through all stages of the business development cycle, including offers to High Potential Start-Up (HPSUs) companies. In 2013, Enterprise Ireland invested in 189 new HPSU companies by way of Equity and through the Competitive Start Funds. Table 1 shows the regional breakdown of these approvals. The County and City Enterprise Boards also provide supports to those who wish to start up a business.

The latest KBC Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index was released last week and showed continued improvement, increasing to 85.5 in February 2013, from 84.6 in January and 59.4 in February 2012. The 3-month moving average increased for the tenth consecutive month, to 83.3, from 78.5 in January. The indications from this are that consumers are increasingly confident that the Irish economy as a whole is improving.

As we said two years ago when we published the first Action Plan for Jobs, there is no ‘big bang’ solution to the employment crisis – what we need is to systematically build a sustainable growing economy which can create the jobs we need. Over the past two years we have implemented over 500 actions to improve our competitiveness, support Irish and multinational companies, and target sectors of potential. We are seeing the results of our efforts – our competitiveness rankings are improving, our exports are growing, and we are now creating jobs faster than any other economy in the EU or the OECD. We will continue the process in 2014 with the Action Plan for Jobs and other Government policies, so that we fulfil our promises to the many people around the country still have yet to see evidence of economic recovery in their own lives.

Table 1 – Enterprise Ireland investment in HPSUs by region