Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Balanced regional enterprise development continues to be a key policy for me and this Government, and is reaffirmed in the Department’s White Paper on Enterprise.

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

The Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan covers Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath and was launched in Mullingar on 1 March last year.

Each Plan is overseen and monitored by a Steering Committee made up of regional stakeholders and chaired by a senior level private sector businessperson.

I attended the last meeting of the Midlands Steering Committee on 12 May in Portlaoise. At the meeting an update was provided on each strategic objective and associated actions. This included a presentation from the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly on the EU Just Transition Programme. In addition, I also heard from Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) about their FactoryxChange European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) initiative. The Regional Enterprise Plan Programme Manager also provided details on the Midlands Food and Drink Strategy. I believe good progress is being made in delivering on the objectives of the Plan.

With regard to funding, I can advise the Deputy that my Department has secured up to €145 million from the European Regional Development Fund to drive implementation of the Regional Enterprise Plans. This funding will support innovative enterprise focused projects aligned to the Plans. I expect the first call of €35 million to be announced in the coming months.

Finally, the Department is holding nine ‘Building Better Business’ conferences around the country throughout 2023. These focus on the opportunities and challenges 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. Regional Enterprise Plan Chairs also have the opportunity to address attendees about the progress being made in the implementation of their Plan.

The Midlands conference took place on 27 April in Portlaoise. The most recent conference focused on the Mid-East region and was held last Friday in Naas. The next event will focus on the South-East region and take place on 14 July in the South-East Technical University (SETU) Arena in Waterford.

I believe these conferences demonstrate the firm commitment of this Government to balanced regional enterprise development for all regions of Ireland, including the Midlands.