Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on progress in the implementation of the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan; the potential future funding for the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44197/23]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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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.

My 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. I believe good progress is being made in delivering on the objectives of the Plan. The next meeting of this Steering Committee is scheduled for 24 November in Tullamore and which I hope to attend.

My Department has secured up to €145 million in funding to assist in delivering on the objectives set out in the nine Regional Enterprise Plans and support projects aligned to those Plans. This funding builds on the €126 million my Department has already allocated in regional enterprise funding.

Earlier this week I announced the first call amounting to €35 million under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme (SREIS). The overall objective of this Scheme is to drive job creation and enterprise development; it provides an opportunity for regional stakeholders to unlock potential from the bottom up through collaboration and will have a major impact in all regions of the country.

The Scheme is now open for applications on Enterprise Ireland’s website and will close on 31 March 2024. I expect that there will be up to four calls under this fund over the coming years. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Chair of the Midlands REP, Anne Cusack, the programme manager, Sarah Morgan, and all on the steering committee whose passion and dedication for the region is evident in the ambitions plans outlined in the Midlands REP. I look forward to seeing innovative enterprise focused projects coming from the Midlands for this funding.

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 Plans.

The Midlands conference took place on 27 April in Portlaoise. The most recent conference was held on 22 September in Dundalk and focused on the North-East region. The next event will focus on the West region and takes place tomorrow in Ballina, Co. Mayo.

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

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will comment on a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41862/23]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I very much welcome the ambition set out by the independent Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce in their Final Report. The Taskforce’s vision for an Atlantic Green Digital Corridor, developing from the Shannon Estuary and stretching from Cork to Donegal is more than an energy strategy; it is also about reshaping the Irish economy very fundamentally, and it offers a tangible opportunity to achieve balanced regional development, something that is a key priority of mine.

Minister Coveney joined the Taoiseach and Ministers Ryan and Foley in launching the independent Taskforce’s Report in Ardnacrusha on the 8th of July last. As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government 2020 committed to supporting the Shannon Estuary region by establishing this Taskforce and I was particularly pleased to see that commitment honoured in such a visionary and ambitious Final Report.

I particularly welcome the Taskforce’s proposal to develop an Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind. My Department has established a dedicated Unit tasked with delivering on this objective recognising the vast potential the industry has for Ireland. My officials are leading on extensive consultations across Government and industry to develop the Strategy, and the intention is to publish a Strategic Roadmap in the first half of 2024.

A number of related recommendations contained in the Report, including the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) and the publication of a National Hydrogen Strategy, have also been actioned by Government in the past few months. These are important elements to our delivery of offshore wind energy, and its routes to market, and both clearly demonstrate Government’s commitment to developing an offshore wind industry of scale in Ireland.

I also welcome the series of recommendations in the Report designed to bring more immediate economic and sustainability benefits to the Shannon Estuary region. This includes actions required to develop and upscale the deployment of onshore sources of renewable energy such as biomethane, as well as specific recommendations on developing the region’s transport and logistics infrastructure, digital connectivity, and proposals around further developing the Estuary’s tourism offering.

The relevant Departments and Agencies are currently examining all the Taskforce recommendations in detail and my Department plan to publish an implementation update by the end of the year.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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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.

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

The South-East Regional Enterprise Plan covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Waterford and was launched in Wexford on 24 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 businessperson.

I attended the last meeting of the South-East Steering Committee in workLAB in Waterford on 23 March. At the meeting an update was provided on the Plan's strategic objectives and associated actions, and I am pleased to report that good progress has been made to date. This is a reflection of the team driving the SE REP, and I wish to acknowledge it's Chair, Patsy Carney, the interim programme manager, Richard Hickey, and all on the steering committee whose dedication will no doubt see them realise the ambitious plans for the South-East region.

To that end, my Department has secured up to €145 million in funding to assist in delivering on the objectives set out in the nine Regional Enterprise Plans and support projects aligned to those Plans. This funding builds on the €126 million my Department has already allocated in regional enterprise funding.

Earlier this week I announced the first call amounting to €35 million under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme (SREIS). The overall objective of this Scheme is to drive job creation and enterprise development; it provides an opportunity for regional stakeholders to unlock potential from the bottom up through collaboration and will have a major impact in all regions of the country.

The Scheme is now open for applications on Enterprise Ireland’s website and the first call will close on 31 March 2024. I expect that there will be up to four calls under this fund over the coming years. I look forward to seeing innovative enterprise focused projects coming from the South-East region for this funding.

This funding will help support entrepreneurship, start-ups and scaling companies, primarily micro and SMEs, through the provision of appropriate infrastructure and key staff resources.

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 Plans.

The most recent conference was held on 22 September in Dundalk and focused on the North-East region. The South-East event was held in July in SETU with over 100 in attendance, despite the inclement weather. The next event will focus on the West region and takes place tomorrow in Ballina, Co. Mayo.

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