Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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107. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the implementation of the West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22151/23]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Balanced regional enterprise development continues to be a key policy of mine and this Government, and is reaffirmed in the White Paper on Enterprise.

My Department contributes to this agenda in a number of ways, including through the development, implementation and oversight of nine Regional Enterprise Plans.

The West Regional Enterprise Plan covers Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and was launched in Castlebar on the 4th of March last year.

Each Regional Enterprise Plan is overseen and monitored by a Steering Committee made up of regional stakeholders and chaired by a senior level private sector business-person.

I attended the last meeting of the Steering Committee which took place on the 29^thof November in Digispace, Claremorris. I also met to discuss the implementation of the Plan with the senior management of the relevant Local Authorities on 10^thMarch. At those meetings I saw the level of commitment of regional stakeholders to delivering on the objectives of the Plan. The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled for 20^thJune.

With regard to funding, I can advise the Deputy that my Department is continuing to work with Enterprise Ireland to prepare the launch of the first call under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which will drive implementation of the Regional Enterprise Plans. I am keen to get this funding out to the regions as soon as possible.

Finally, the Deputy may be aware that my Department is holding nine ‘Building Better Business’ conferences around the country. These focus on the opportunities and challenges for businesses of digital transformation and the transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as showcasing the government and agency supports available to small and medium enterprises. The Regional Enterprise Plan Chair also has the opportunity to address attendees about the progress being made in implementing the Plan.

Two of these conferences have taken place to date, the first for the North-West region on Friday, 3^rdMarch at the Letterkenny campus of the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Donegal; and the second for the Midlands region on the 27^thApril at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise. The next event will focus on the Mid-West region and take place on the 26^thMay in the University of Limerick.

I am looking forward to the event in the West, which is scheduled for Friday, 13^thOctober.