Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on the work of the consultative committee on jobs in the green economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48141/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Consultative Committee on Jobs in the Green Economy was established in 2013 arising from a commitment in Delivering our Green Potential,the Government’s Policy Statement on Growth and Employment in the Green Economy.The Committee was established to help identify emerging opportunities for Ireland in the Green Economy and any enablers or barriers to seizing those opportunities. The Committee, which I chair, involves representatives from the enterprise sector as well as relevant Government Departments and agencies.

The Committee met on three occasions in 2013 and twice this year, and has considered range of issues including:

-the potential for waste reduction, as well as for the re-use and re-cycling of waste, to support enterprise competitiveness and jobs;

-access to Finance for companies in the cleantech sector;

-Research, Development and Innovation in the Green Economy;

-areas of potential market growth for green products and services; and

-the potential for better use of Green Public Procurement to support innovative companies based in Ireland.

The Committee has also provided input to the Action Plan for Jobs process.

The Green Economy presents a major economic opportunity for employment creation in Ireland. We have significant strengths and advantages which we can leverage to exploit business opportunities at home and in overseas markets in sectors such as sustainable food production, tourism, green financial services, green products and services, waste management, water and waste water management, renewable energy, smart grids and energy efficiency.

The demand for green products and services is likely to increase over the coming years on foot of the EU’s Climate and Energy targets to 2030 and the prospect of an international agreement on Climate Change at the end of 2015. Our objective is to ensure that Irish companies are well prepared to benefit from these new market opportunities as they arise.