Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Feb 1997

Vol. 474 No. 3

Written Answers. - Job Creation.

Noel Ahern

Question:

32 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will make a statement on his policy agreed with the IDA to seek a greater dispersal of new industrial projects throughout the country in view of the established fact that the Dublin region, particularly the northside, has the highest unemployment rate in the country. [1968/97]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

In addressing the annual conferences of both IDA and Forbairt recently, I reinforced the importance which the Government attaches to achieving a balanced regional spread of inward investment projects.

Dublin and the east region generally have been very successful in securing a large proportion of inward investment projects over the last number of years. The record rate of growth for 1996 recently reported by IDA Ireland, in terms of its national performance, is due very substantially to the exceptional capability of the east region to attract so high a proportion of mobile investment. When the services and sub-supply jobs generated by this investment are added, the east region is making very significant advances in terms of employment creation.

In 1996, the total number of jobs created in IDA-assisted companies in the Dublin region was 6,163. IDA client companies on the northside of Dublin city have grown substantially in recent years and Fingal, as a local authority area, has had the highest IDA jobs growth of any county council.

Principal employers in the northside include Gateway 2000, Motorola, and companies like GE Superabrasives, Stream International, Linsons and Ballet are employing numbers varying between 280 and 1,350 employees. Total employment in these particular companies is in excess of 3,600.

The total number of jobs created in Forbairt-assisted companies in the Dublin region for 1996 was 3,545. Shortly after Forbairt was established it reviewed the needs of the Dublin region and appointed in 1995, for the first time ever, a new area manager for Dublin north. Through its area manager, Forbairt is working closely with various groups in developing a strategic plan for Dublin north. These include: Northside Partnership; Ballymun Partnership; Finglas/Cabra Partnership; Blanchardstown Partnership; Dublin City University; IDA Ireland, NorDubCo; Fingal County Council; Dublin City Enterprise Board; Balbriggan Enterprise; URBAN; Aer Rianta; FÁS and Dublin Corporation.

Forbairt is also actively involved with the Dublin city enterprise board and Finglas partnership in carrying out a space audit of the Finglas area, to identify space availability, land available for development and the potential demand for future industrial units in the area.

Since the CEBs were established in late 1993, those in the Dublin region have approved almost 700 projects out of a total for all 35 CEBs of 6,000 — 12 per cent of the national total. By the end of 1996, over 1,100 jobs had been created in CEB-assisted projects in the Dublin region out of a total of 7,700 — 14 per cent of the national total.

Other parts of the northside have also enjoyed significant growth as, for example, in East Point where there are currently six companies which have applied to relocate at the East Point industrial estate under the terms of the enterprise areas scheme. A feature of the development at East Point is the fact that the companies are predominantly internationally traded service companies involved mainly in the software, dataprocessing and telemarketing sectors.

The total number of potential jobs at the East Point arising from the relocation of these companies is 1,634. In addition to the above companies, I understand that further applications are expected which could lead to the present total of 1,634 jobs being significantly increased in the near future.

However, even in city locations such as Dublin with their inherent attractions for large investment projects there is an ongoing need to continue impacting on the high unemployment levels. With some of the best projects in the world coming to Dublin, there are still high rates of unemployment and areas of deprivation. The Government has a co-ordinated approach to addressing these problems through the area partnership companies and the focusing of resources in such areas, through the education, vocational training and social welfare systems. The objective is to provide opportunities for progression and acquisition of skills required in the labour market to those who are currently excluded, or are at risk of becoming so.

In the Dublin region there are five employment service networks in operation. These provide targeted assistance to the unemployed which includes guidance training, education and employment support. Also, FÁS is actively promoting Jobstart and Workplace as initiatives to help the unemployed return to the workforce.

In conclusion, Dublin and the east region have been successful relative to other areas of the country in securing inward investment projects and, notwithstanding unemployment levels in particular areas, as is obvious from other questions tabled to me today, there is a need to attempt to ensure balance in the distribution of these projects according to the regional needs of the country as a whole.