Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment how the new White Paper on Enterprise will help businesses in the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9095/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A central component of the White Paper on Enterprise is to support balanced regional economic and enterprise development. In implementing the White Paper, the enterprise development agencies and Local Enterprise Offices will continue to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem, providing opportunities for communities and businesses across Ireland.

By way of example, through the roll out of a National Clustering Programme a key deliverable under the White Paper, we will maximise the scale, impact and international visibility of Irish clusters and cluster organisations while also leveraging the benefits of proximity and co-location to boost regional and rural economic development outcomes including in the Border region.

The ambition set out in the White Paper is to enable a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and regionally-balanced economy made up of a diversified mix of leading global companies, international competitive Irish enterprise and thriving local businesses. My Department has made available to date over €126 million in regional enterprise funding through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, Border Enterprise Development Fund and Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme to assist locally-led regional enterprise development projects.

The Regional Enterprise Plans play a significant role in strengthening the enterprise ecosystem right across Ireland. The North-East and North-West Regional Enterprise Plans in particular play a central role in supporting the delivery of balanced regional enterprise development in both regions by identifying growth opportunities, recognising vulnerabilities, and in response, strengthening the regional enterprise ecosystem to enable job creation.

The Border Enterprise Development Fund, launched in 2020, recognises the importance of improving the international competitiveness of enterprises in the Border Region in the context of Brexit and other market challenges. 11 projects secured total funding of €17.4 million under this fund. The BEDF is part of a €28 million economic stimulus package for Border counties and further enhances Brexit supports for smaller businesses supported by the LEOs and drives SME business transformation in the Border region who are challenged by Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department’s Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme was also recently introduced as part of the Government’s programme of assistance for regional enterprise development and assistance to regions facing difficulties as a consequence of Brexit and Covid-19. Last October, 24 projects secured funding of €9.3 million, with funding approved in each region.

The White Paper reaffirms that through the Government’s Shared Island Initiative opportunities for North / South cooperation to enhance the investment proposition of the island as a whole and in border regions in both jurisdictions will continue to be pursued, including on research and innovation, skills, transport connectivity, renewable energy, and the development of sectoral ecosystems.

The implementation of the White Paper on Enterprise will be monitored and assessed against delivery of 15 identified targets covering the seven priority policy objectives. These include regional targets including ensuring that unemployment does not exceed one percentage point of the national unemployment rate in any region, delivering at least half of all new FDI investments from 2021-2024 to outside of Dublin, and for over two thirds of new jobs created in Enterprise Ireland supported firms to be located outside of Dublin.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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125. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an overview of the new White Paper on Enterprise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9193/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The White Paper sets out the Government’s enterprise priorities in the period to 2030. It seeks to ensure Ireland’s enterprise policy is orientated to protect Ireland’s strong economic position, and to respond to challenges and opportunities that have emerged as a result of the pandemic, wider economic and geopolitical developments, digitalisation and an increased urgency to decarbonise industry.

It represents an evolution of our enterprise policy, building on the strong foundations already in place. It sets out what needs to be done differently to realise a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable enterprise growth model for Ireland in the future.

The White Paper also addresses the key components of the competitive enterprise environment including infrastructure, cost of doing business, skills and talent, access to finance, taxation and regulation.

The White Paper vision is for Irish-based enterprise to succeed through competitive advantage founded on sustainability, innovative and productivity, delivering rewarding jobs and livelihoods.

It sets out the Government’s seven priority enterprise policy objectives for the period to 2030. These are:

1. Integrating decarbonisation and net zero commitments where our targets are a 35% emissions reduction from Industry by 2030 and 45% emissions reduction from

Commercial Built Environment by 2030.

2. Placing digital transformation at the heart of enterprise policy where our target is that 90% of SMEs are at basic digital intensity by 2030.

3. Advancing Ireland’s FDI and trade value proposition with targets of a 20% increase in IDA client expenditure in Ireland by 2024, and at least half of all FDI investments between 2021 and 2024 to be located outside of Dublin.

4. Strengthening the Irish-owned exporting sector where we are targeting 2.5% average annual growth in Irish-owned enterprise productivity by 2024, a 50% increase in the number of large Irish exporting companies by 2030, 2,000 additional Irish-owned exporters by 2030, and over two-thirds of Enterprise Ireland assisted new jobs between 2022 and 2024 will be created outside of Dublin.

5. Enabling locally trading sectors to thrive where our target is a 1% average annual increase in multifactor productivity growth in domestic sectors of the economy by 2025.

6. Stepping up enterprise innovation such that Gross Expenditure on R&D will increase to 2.5% of Gross National Income by 2030 and the Number of High-Potential Start-Ups is increased by 20% by 2024.

7. Building on strengths and opportunities where our targets are five national cluster organisations funded under a new National Clustering Programme by 2025 and unemployment not to exceed one percentage point of national unemployment rate in any region.

My Department will lead the development of consecutive two-year Implementation Plans of cross-government activity to implement the White Paper commitments. The first White Paper Implementation Plan, covering the period to the end of 2024, will be prepared in Q1 of this year. Biannual reports will include updates on progress towards the 15 targets identified in the White Paper.