Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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25. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to expand her Department's efforts and resources in terms of creating investment and business in the north County Meath region which is the most deprived area of County Meath according to the 2016 Pobal HP deprivation index; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49611/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I note the Deputy's reference to the 2016 Pobal HP Deprivation Index, which considers affluence and disadvantage across the combined dimensions of demographics, social class composition and labour market situation at a detailed level of spatial analysis throughout Ireland. The outcome of the index for North Meath and for many other areas serves to underline the importance of maintaining a strong focus on local and regional economic development.

The Mid East Action Plan for Jobs is a key policy response for supporting employment growth in the Mid East region, including County Meath, with public and private stakeholders currently engaged in delivering the range of innovative and practical actions set out in the Plan.  

The first two Progress Reports on the implementation of the Action Plan show that good progress is being made: there are now 12,800 more people at work across Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow since the launch of the Regional Action Plan initiative in Q1 2015. The core objective of the Plan is to see a further 25,000 at work in the region by 2020 and to reduce the unemployment rate to within 1% of the State average.

Small and micro-businesses are key to sustaining local and rural economies. In 2016, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Meath supported 207 small and micro-businesses employing 927 people in the county, and approved 25 grants – feasibility, priming and business expansion – in total for the year, to a value of almost €300,000.  LEO Meath will continue to act as the ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own businesses in the county.

An additional €4m capital funding was made available for the LEOs for 2017 which has, and will continue to fund, a range of measures put in place to supplement LEO Brexit supports. A further  €4m in capital funding has been allocated to the LEOs in 2018, and will ensure that a suite of LEO Brexit supports are available to micro and small businesses through the 31 LEOs, including LEO Meath.

Enterprise Ireland has 168 client companies in Meath, which it has supported with investment of €7 million in the period 2014 -2016. In 2016, 7,000 people were employed in Enterprise Ireland supported companies in County Meath, with a gross gain of 550 jobs over that year.

Enterprise Ireland has also co-funded the establishment of 3 Community Enterprise Centres in Meath, and in 2016 awarded funding to Meath Enterprise Centre under the Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme to develop a food innovation and research centre and a digital media hub.

To further support enterprise development across all regions, additional funding of up to €60m is being rolled out by Enterprise Ireland over the next 4 years under the competitive Regional Enterprise Development Fund, which will support the development and implementation of collaborative and innovative projects that can sustain and add to employment at a national, regional and county level. Additional funding of €150m is also being made available to the IDA to support its Regional Property Programme and drive job creation in the multi-national sector.

The IDA is making significant progress towards achieving its regional development targets, which include a 30% to 40% increase in FDI in the Mid-East Region which incorporates Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. There are now 56 multinational companies based in this region, 17 of which are located in Meath, employing 1,500 staff. Recent announcements from companies such as Shire and Facebook demonstrate both existing companies’ commitment to continue investing in the county, as well as the county’s attractiveness for new investments.

The IDA is committed to increasing investment in Meath through ensuring an adequate supply of modern property solutions and supporting the development of the county’s FDI base. The Agency is also encouraging its client base there to undertake further investment projects. The IDA will continue to work with local authorities and other relevant agencies to support the development of further quality infrastructure in the County.