Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new North-East Regional Enterprise Plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50708/25]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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47. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new mid-west regional enterprise plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50465/25]

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new south east regional enterprise plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50459/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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66. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new west regional enterprise plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50583/25]

Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new midlands regional enterprise plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50578/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 47, 56, 66 and 68 together.

I propose to take questions 56, 43, 47, 66 and 68 together.

Balanced regional enterprise development is a Government priority and my Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region.

As mentioned in response to previous parliamentary questions, most recently in the 19 June session, the current REPs were extended for one year to end 2025 with agreement from the Regional Enterprise Plans National Oversight Group at its meeting of 25 April 2024. This extension provided an additional year for continued implementation of the current plans and time to review the REP initiative and consider the best approach to the future of the REPs.

There is a clear commitment in the new Programme for Government to publish and resource new Regional Enterprise Plans. Before we develop any new plans, I wished to assess our approach to date, set a clear framework for the future, and engage all of the relevant stakeholders in each region.

In this context, my Department commissioned an independent review of the Regional Enterprise Plan initiative this year. A Steering Group made up of REP stakeholders and Department officials oversaw the review and the final report is about to be delivered. I will examine the report and its findings with officials in my Department and determine how best to take forward our enterprise development approach for the regions.

As part of this process, the Department will also develop a Regional Enterprise Policy Statement to map out the regional enterprise policy landscape?and facilitate better alignment of future REPs to the core activities of regional stakeholders including the enterprise agencies, local authorities, and regional assemblies. The policy statement will provide for links with relevant national policies and initiatives such as the National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation and the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity. Indeed, the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity reiterates our commitments to develop the policy statement, and to publish and resource new REPs. It also commits to deepening my Department’s engagement with the regional assemblies.

Following on from consideration of the?findings of the review and publication of the Regional Enterprise Policy Statement, development of the next REPs, supported by significant consultation with regional stakeholders, will take place and new plans published in 2026.