Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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16. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on the way his Department is attempting to increase job creation in County Donegal through the Action Plan for Jobs; the number of jobs forecasted to be created in 2015 in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12081/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The aim of the Action Plan for Jobs is to help enterprises to create employment in all regions of the country. While employment has increased nationally by over 89,000 since the start of the Action Plan process in 2012, not all regions are yet fully experiencing the benefits of economic recovery. That is why the Government is placing an increased emphasis on supporting jobs growth in the regions.

The Action Plans for Jobs Regional initiative seeks to build on the success of the annual Action Plan for Jobs process by developing locally driven plans that can build on the strengths and opportunities identified in each region. These plans 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.

Eight Regional Action Plans will be published this year,. My objective is that six Plans, including one for the Border region which includes Co. Donegal, will be launched by July, with two remaining Plans in development at that stage.

It is not intended that specific job creation targets will be set for each county in the Regional Action Plans for Jobs, but, rather, that the plans will identify measures that can be taken to enable each region as a whole to realise its economic potential and create jobs, building on its competitive strengths and opportunities.