Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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652. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans for the prioritisation of job creation in County Longford and surrounding regions. [14256/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Supporting enterprise development in all regions of the country in order to support job creation is a key priority of the Government, with initiatives such as the regional Action Plans for Jobs seeking to build on the capabilities and strengths of each region to maximise enterprise growth and job creation.

The Action Plan for Jobs for the Midland Region was launched on June 29th, 2015, the first of 8 Regional Action Plans to be delivered. It contains 119 time-bound actions to be implemented by 2017 targeted at improving employment growth and enterprise development in the region as a whole, by leveraging collaboration within public sector organisations, and between the public and private sector, across the counties of Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois. The plan is focused on the specific needs and strengths of the region, with actions targeted at sectors of potential competitive advantage such as manufacturing, tourism, food and energy.

Since the first National Action Plan for Jobs was launched in 2012 jobs have grown in the Midland region by 12,600. The Midlands Action Plan for Jobs targets further employment growth of between 11,400 and 17,100 additional jobs by 2020.

Since the Plan was launched, focus has been on putting in place a comprehensive implementation structure. A Regional Implementation Committee was established last year, composed of key stakeholders in the region who work in concert with Enterprise Champions - nominated senior private sector representatives - to oversee and monitor progress. This committee held its first meeting on March 2nd 2016, and will hold a further meeting in the coming weeks to review and assess progress on delivery of the Plan’s actions. The first Progress Report on the implementation of the Plan, covering the period to end-June 2016, will be completed and published in Q3 2016.

Key actions in the plan to be delivered over the period 2015-2017 include: Establishing a Midlands Manufacturing Technologies Campus; developing new cycling, walking and other recreational trails along the waterways of the region; developing a Regional Energy Hub; establishing new incubator spaces for entrepreneurs; attracting at least 25 additional multinational investment projects to the region by 2019; building two advance facilities for Athlone, and appointing an IDA Regional Manager for the Midlands.

Investment of up to €250 million was announced in February 2015, to be provided over five years to support and maximise the impact of all Regional Action Plans, including €150 million for a property investment programme by IDA Ireland.

A further sum of up to €100 million will be made available over the period through three competitive calls administered by Enterprise Ireland. These calls are being targeted at innovative and collaborative approaches to support job creation across the regions.

On June 1st of this year an initial allocation of €5m in competitive funding for local and regional initiatives was announced under two of these calls; the LEO Competitive Fund and the Community Enterprise Initiative. Among the successful projects are the Midlands Engineering Cluster Programme, which will create new synergy between engineering enterprises, educational institutions, and government agencies in the region; the enhancement of the Junction Business Innovation Centre in Tullamore through recruitment of a Business Development Manager; and the Midlands ‘One to Two’ Growth Initiative, which will assist solo entrepreneurs in the region in attaining employer status.

In addition, the Midlands Regional Skills Forum, which includes among other organisations the Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Boards and Longford Chamber, has been established to connect education providers with employers to build the skills of the region.