Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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25. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the confidence levels among Dublin businesses falling for a third consecutive quarter in 2016 according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce surveys; her 2017 job creation targets for IDA and Enterprise Ireland in the greater Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38952/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Confidence levels among Irish businesses are an important factor in Ireland’s economic performance. The usual way of gauging business sentiment at a point in time is by way of survey. The reliability of survey results depends on many variables such as sample size, timing of the survey and questionnaire design.

The Dublin Quarterly Business Trends Survey referred to involved surveying 222 businesses in August 2016. Given the timing of the survey, just post Brexit, it is likely that the UK’s vote to leave the EU was a contributing factor in the results of that survey, particularly as there were a number of questions specifically on Brexit.

More recently a survey released on 23 November, at the Enterprise Ireland/Deloitte CEO Forum, found that 96% of Irish CEOs are planning to expand over the next 12 months, while 86% are confident of revenue growth in their companies in 2017. It also found 73% of CEOs citing Brexit as an opportunity for more Irish companies to export to Europe.

My own view is that, on balance business confidence is broadly stable at the moment. We will continue to work across sectors and regions to drive opportunity, exports and jobs growth.

While IDA and Enterprise Ireland do not publish regional targets, the Dublin Regional APJ aims to increase employment in the Dublin region by 10-15% over the period to 2020, delivering 66,000 additional jobs.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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26. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of the 40,000 to 45,000 new jobs she expects to deliver in 2017 that will be created in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39115/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The economic crisis hit the South East’s job numbers badly with the loss of 37,800 jobs between 2007 and 2012.

As a result of a focused collaborative approach and a range of reforms delivered in the region over recent years, the unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 20.1% in 2012 to the current rate of 10.4%.

The numbers on the Live Register in County Wexford have fallen by over 1,800 in the past year.

215,000 are now at work in the South East - an increase of 33,800 since 2012.

Since 2012 the South East has had the fastest rate of jobs growth, in percentage terms, of any region in the country.

While the current unemployment rate is still too high, these figures demonstrate that the overall trend is one of steady improvement.

The Regional Action Plans for Jobs initiative is a concrete example of the targeted approach undertaken to boost regional employment.

The core objective of the South East Plan is to realise the potential to have a further 25,000 at work in the region, including Wexford, by 2020 and the unemployment rate within the 1% of the State average.

The job creation targets in the plan are for the South East region, and do not contain county-specific or annual targets.

Key sectors targeted as part of the Plan include agri-food, tourism, life sciences, manufacturing, retail and financial and business services.

I am committed to working with the various agencies and stakeholders in the South East to ensure that this trend continues and that sufficient sustainable jobs are ultimately created.

The first progress report has been completed and will be published shortly. The report will show that good progress is being made in the implementation of the South East Plan.