Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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263. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide details on the regional development strategy currently been rolled out in the Midlands in terms of the background assessment and findings; the anticipated time frame to measure the impact; if an assessment for counties that do not have an institute of technology or another third level institute has been carried out; the effect this will have on foreign direct investment for those counties; if he will provide a cost-benefit analysis breakdown for regional development initiatives versus urban initiatives in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5958/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The 2015 Action Plan for Jobs, which was published on 29th January, includes a commitment to develop and publish a suite of Regional Enterprise Strategies to support enterprise growth and job creation in every region of the country. These Strategies will contain a series of specific actions to be delivered by a range of public bodies and local stakeholders, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and the Local Enterprise Offices, to maximise the potential of each region to support enterprise development and jobs growth.

The Regional Enterprise Strategies will identify and build on the strengths and assets of each region. Most regions have a combination of urban and regionally-dispersed assets and the objective will be to ensure that these are used in a complementary way rather than competing with one another to support the development of the region as a whole. Similarly, the aim is to ensure that any Third Level institution located in a particular county benefits the region as a whole, as well as neighbouring regions where appropriate. Creating a pool of skilled and knowledgeable workers will be a factor in helping to attract investment to the region, including foreign direct investment.

The first Regional Enterprise Strategy to be published will cover the Midlands region, which includes the counties of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly. Following a process of engagement with stakeholders in the region over the last number of months, my officials are currently finalising the Regional Enterprise Strategy for the Midlands.

The Strategy will be published in the coming weeks and will include an overview of the strengths and opportunities of the region and actions to be delivered in the short-to-medium term to maximise those opportunities. Progress on implementation of the actions and their impact will be overseen through a monitoring process which will include the key stakeholders in the region.