Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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120. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide information on the Killybegs jobs initiative which was established in 2011; the names of the members of the initiative’s high level group; the expenses claimed by the members of this task force; the minutes of the meetings of this task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2895/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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On 3 June 2011, I announced a pilot jobs initiative for Killybegs, following the launch of an economic report for the European Commission, which assessed the status, development and potential diversification of Killybegs as a fisheries dependent community. The aim of this initiative was to create 250 cross sectoral jobs in the Killybegs area by 2014. To drive forward the initiative, I established a High Level Group on Job Creation in the Killybegs Region and requested that the Group identify the potential actions required to deliver job creation in the following five key areas, that is; promoting seafood value added activity; enhancing ancillary services; developing offshore supports; promoting tourism and marine leisure; and promoting the green economy and renewable energy.

The High Level Group comprised representatives of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (who chaired the Group), Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Donegal County Council, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Enterprise Ireland, local industry and from my Department. BIM provided secretariat services to assist the chair. The Group finished its work in 2011 and its Report is available on my Department’s website at:

The Report of the High Level Group identified how the original target of creating 250 new jobs could be achieved and set out cross-sectoral recommendations under 8 headings to address constraints that may impact on achievement of the jobs target. From 2012, the High Level Group met periodically to review and drive progress. It established a local implementation group in 2012 to further enhance delivery on the action items identified within the 2011 Report. I understand that figures are not yet available on the extent of job creation achieved by 2014.

In relation to expenses, I expect that the public sector representatives on the Group would have claimed their normal travel and subsistence expenses at public sector rates, but I had no role in that matter. There was no arrangement for payment from public monies of expenses to non-public sector members of the Group.