Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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856. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is aware that the Dublin region panel of enterprise champions has not been announced, while all other regional enterprise champion panels have been in place for six months; when this announcement will be made; the person who is overseeing the Dublin Action Plan for Jobs in the absence of an enterprise champion; her views that Dublin will be disadvantaged as a result of this absence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23734/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Dublin Regional Action Plan for Jobs, which covers the period 2016-2018, was launched in late January 2016 and was the last of the 8 Regional Action Plans to be launched.

Delivery of each Plan is being overseen by a Regional Implementation Committee, with membership drawn from industry, local authorities, Enterprise Agencies, education sector and other key stakeholders and agencies.

Some of the actions set out in the Regional APJs will require active engagement with, and the development of networks within, the private sector. To drive this process, key industry figures have been appointed to act asEnterprise Champions within each Region.

The Deputy will recall that, shortly after the launch of the Dublin Action Plan, the General Election was called for the 26^thof February and the new Government was formed in May.

Shortly after my appointment as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, I moved to identify Enterprise Champions for the Dublin Action Plan Implementation Committee. I was anxious to ensure that they would be well-regarded industry figures, from both an indigenous or multinational enterprise base and be in a position to bring their business acumen, skills and leverage in the wider business community to bear on the implementation and ongoing development of the Plan.

In this context, Ms Caroline Keeling, Chief Executive of Keelings has recently agreed to chair the Implementation Committee. Mr Ronan Harris, Head of Google’s operations in Ireland, will take the role of vice-chair, and Ms Julie Spillane of Accenture has also agreed to be an Enterprise Champion on the Committee.

Additional Enterprise Champions are currently being considered and will be appointed to the Committee in the coming weeks.

The Dublin Plan aims to increase employment in the Dublin region by 10-15% over the period to 2020, resulting in the delivery of 66,000 additional jobs to the region in that period

Key sectors targeted as part of the plan include areas like technology, financial services, life sciences, manufacturing, tourism and retail as well as “smart cities” and the creative industries.

In addition to assisting the Committee with reviewing progress on the delivery of the actions in the Action Plan for the region on a regular basis, the Enterprise Champions will work with private and public stakeholders to identify new actions to be added to the Action Plan as they emerge over the lifetime of the Plan.

Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in the plan’s development, and will be central to its delivery. My Department will work closely with the Group as it progresses the Plan.

The first meeting of the Dublin Implementation will take place in September, when it will consider progress on the implementation of the actions contained in the Plan.

The first progress report of the Plan will be completed and published later this year.