Brendan Smith
Question:33 Mr. B. Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures to be implemented to ensure a better distribution of job creation and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11994/00]
Written Answers. - Job Creation.
Brendan Smith
Question:56 Mr. B. Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures which will be implemented to ensure a better distribution of job creation in view of the needs of the Border region and particularly the need to attract inward investment to County Cavan and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11993/00]
I propose to take Question Nos. 33 and 56 together.
The Government, through its enterprise support agencies, is committed to ensuring the most equitable distribution of job opportunities and to encourage the establishment of industry in the regions. The development agencies are now strongly focused on achieving this aim and resources are being deployed to reflect this new focus.
IDA Ireland, as part of its new focus, is seeking to deliver half of all new greenfield jobs into the Objective One region in the coming years. This involves doubling the proportion of greenfield jobs negotiated for this region.
While seeking to increase its delivery of new jobs, IDA Ireland is at the same time working closely with the providers of infrastructure and the educational/training bodies to deliver improved facilities for industry in the regions. When a new project is attracted to an area the resulting boost in confidence makes it easier to persuade local authorities to improve infrastructure, colleges are encouraged to put on and fill new courses and private developers are more interested in providing advance buildings.
To ensure that the new strategy is delivered on, IDA Ireland has reorganised its internal structures. This restructuring included allocation of additional staff to its regional offices, opening new regional offices in Cavan and Limerick and the allocation of regional responsibilities to key executives in its project divisions.
Other initiatives include putting a greater focus on marketing of the regions for specific sectors and improvement of marketing material for the regions. IDA Ireland's incentive package is also strongly geared in favour of the Objective One region, which is in line with the new EU state aid limits.
As a direct result of this increased marketing focus on the Objective One region, there is a strong flow of potential clients visiting the region, including the advance factory in Cavan. The availability of the Cavan advance factory is critical to securing these site visits. IDA Ireland's objective is to secure a client for the advance factory at the earliest possible stage.
In the Objective One region, IDA Ireland has acquired additional land in towns such as Letterkenny, Sligo, Portlaoise, Galway, Dundalk, Cavan and Drogheda. IDA Ireland has also upgraded many of its sites to business park standard and has arranged, in partnership with private developers, for the provision of advance factories and advance offices in a number of key centres.
The national development plan underpins IDA Ireland's new strategy as it will provide the necessary infrastructure to attract overseas investment currently lacking outside the major urban area. IDA Ireland will be keeping in close contact with relevant infrastructure providers to ensure that they are aware of the agency's priorities. The plan envisages spending a higher amount per head of population in the largely rural Border, midland and west regions.
Enterprise Ireland is also committed to ensuring that the benefits of economic development are dispersed evenly throughout the regions. The agency aims to ensure that a significant number of Irish owned new companies will be based in the regions and encourages existing companies contemplating expansion to locate in the BMW regions. To this effect Enterprise Ireland has deployed over 100 staff in its regional network.