Written answers

Thursday, 12 October 2017

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Brexit Issues

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way her Department plans to offset the impact of Brexit in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42758/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Regional Action Plan for Jobs imitative, launched in January 2015, is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin.

Importantly, the Plans have been embraced within the regions and implementation rates for actions within the published Progress Reports are in excess of 90% for each region.

There has been a substantial improvement in the South East region since the commencement of the National Action Plan for Jobs in 2012, with an additional 33,600 in employment in Q2 2017 compared to Q1 2012. There are now 13,000 more people in work in the region since the launch of the Regional Action Plan initiative in Q1 2015. Moreover, the unemployment rate in the South East region has fallen from 12.8% in Q1 2015 to 8.1% in Q2 of this year.

While external shocks, such as Brexit, may impact on regional job delivery in the future, the Regional Action Plans are flexible and dynamic and can be adapted to address Brexit challenges and opportunities arising within the regions.

In addition, all the enterprise development agencies have Brexit plans. Enterprise Ireland, for example, has undertaken the following actions to assist companies around the country navigate Brexit related challenges: 

- Launched a ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’, a new interactive online platform which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit under six business pillars where they have not already done so. 

- Launched a “Be Prepared Grant” that supports the costs of SME clients in preparing a plan to mitigate risks and optimise opportunities arising from Brexit.

- Launched a new Eurozone Strategy to assist Irish exporters increase exports to Eurozone countries by 50% by 2020.

- These strategies are supported by strategic communications campaigns, namely “Global Ambition”, “PrepareforBrexit” and a new “Irish Advantage” campaign which will target Eurozone buyers to promote Irish innovation in key Brexit impacted sectors.

- Ran a national Brexit roadshow, including events in the Border Region. Additional national Brexit roadshow will happen over the course of the coming months.

The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are providing: Brexit specific information sessions for both core and non-core clients in all counties; an online Brexit SME Scorecard that LEO clients can complete to self-assess their readiness for Brexit; and a Lean4Micro programme, which was designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisation to increase performance and competitiveness, particularly in relation to being Brexit-ready. In addition, the LEOs are now offering a new funding programme to assist micro-enterprises affected by Brexit by helping clients find new markets and exports.

The implications of the Brexit vote and the challenges and opportunities that the decision poses for all Irish Regions, including the South East region, continue to be considered by all Regional Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committees.

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