Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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89. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions he will take with regard to the current unemployment crisis in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14593/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Donegal County Enterprise Board (CEB) has been active in providing supports to micro-enterprises throughout the County. In 2013, the Board approved grant aid for 29 projects, with a value of €577k and an associated potential of 126 jobs. The CEB also ran a range of training and management development programmes with over 870 participants and approved access to mentoring services for over 90 businesses. The latest figures available indicate that there are 2,434 people employed on a full-time and part-time basis in companies supported by the CEB in Co. Donegal. Already in 2014, the Board has run the Annual Donegal Business Week with over 780 participants attending the 19 events held during the week. The week was organised by the CEB in conjunction with Udarás na Gaeltachta, Donegal Local Development Company, WestBic, Letterkenny IT/CoLab and Enterprise Ireland.

As the Deputy will be aware, the CEB will shortly be dissolved and established as a Local Enterprise Office (LEO) within Donegal County Council, as part of the reform of the model of supports for the micro-enterprise sector. The LEO will integrate the business support and enterprise development functions of the Council with an enhanced range of existing CEB functions, such as making it easier to obtain the full support of Revenue, Social Protection, Microfinance Ireland, the Credit Review Office, Skillnets and the Education and Training Boards. This reform will result in the provision of the best possible service to people who have a business idea.

There are 165 Enterprise Ireland client companies in Donegal employing 3,342 people on a full-time and part-time basis. Enterprise Ireland runs many initiatives to help sustain existing jobs and to create new jobs in the region and provides funding to the Institute of Technology in Letterkenny to build the research capabilities in the region. In addition, the Community Enterprise Centres, funded through Enterprise Ireland, are providing enterprise space to cater for micro and small enterprises throughout Donegal. Enterprise Ireland approved over €3.2m in 2013 for companies, entrepreneurs and Third Level institutes in Donegal and to date in 2014, the Agency has made payments of over €281k to companies in Donegal.

There are 13 IDA Ireland-supported companies in Donegal employing 2,381 people in full and part time employment in Software Development, Systems Development and the Medical Technology industry.Donegal's industry base is transforming from the clothing and textile industry into high-tech, high-skill activity and IDA Ireland promotes Donegal as a successful location for high-end manufacturing mainly to companies in the medical technologies sector. In addition IDA Ireland engages with its existing base of companies in Donegal, highlighting the ongoing importance of upskilling/reskilling and the need to add high value activities in order to ensure sustainability and ongoing development.

The Action Plan for Jobs 2014 contains a number of actions to strengthen enterprise development at the regional level. Action 177 mandates my Department and its agencies to develop a framework for a Regional Enterprise Strategy to better integrate and develop new ways of working, further collaborations and enhance the efforts and activities of the Enterprise Development agencies and the other regional stakeholders in building enterprise based on sustainable competitive advantage of the region. Regional towns as the drivers of regional economies will obviously be central to the development of these strategies to further enhance the activities of the agencies and the soon to be established LEO network across the regions.