Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 4

Written Answers. - Job Creation.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

151 Mr. McGinley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action she will take to resolve the disparity on job creation between the eastern and western seaboard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26659/00]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The Government, through its enterprise support agencies, is committed to ensuring the most equitable distribution of job opportunities and to address the disparity in jobs between eastern and western regions. The development agencies are now strongly focused on achieving this aim and resources are being deployed to reflect this new focus. The agencies' focus on regionalisation ensures that an attractive financial package will be made available to any appropriate project which may choose to locate or expand in the Objective One – Border, midlands and the west – region.

IDA Ireland is working closely with the providers of infrastructure and the educational-training bodies etc., to deliver improved facilities for industry in the regions. The agency is seeking to deliver over 50% of all newly approved greenfield jobs to the Objective One region.

To ensure that a more equitable distribution of jobs is achieved, IDA Ireland re-organised 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.

The new IDA Ireland strategy is not merely a question of jobs dispersal, it also aims to bring a better mix of industry sectors and higher value industries to locations around the country, in particular, to locations that have not seen the emergence of the more modern industries. The agency's new strategy also addresses the need to increase the value and sustainability of overseas companies already established or about to establish in Ireland. Also, in the Objective One regions, IDA Ireland has acquired additional land and has arranged, in partnership with private developers, to provide advance factories and advance offices in a number of key centres. The approach being pursued by IDA Ireland is having a positive impact on development in the western regions and industries locating in regional towns and cities will benefit the surrounding rural areas.

Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Development and the county enterprise boards are also committed to developing indigenous industry and to regional dispersal. Enterprise Ireland has deployed over 100 staff in its regional network. The agency works closely with all development organisations in the regions as well as the third level educational institutions, local development bodies and other industry to pro actively facilitate an integrated approach to development in the region. In addition, Údarás na Gaeltachta is actively involved in the development of job creating industries and services in the Gaeltacht regions. The agency operates under the aegis of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands in promoting productive schemes of employment through the development of local natural resources, skills and entrepreneurial abilities and the attraction of mobile investment to the Gaeltacht.

Complementary measures in the national development plan will also help to underpin the regional strategies of the development agencies. Improvement of transport links is essential to facilitate job creation in the regions. The same applies to other key items of physical infrastructure such as telecommunications, energy, water supplies and waste disposal. In this regard, the measures provided for in the plan will provide the infrastructure necessary for the attraction of overseas investment currently lacking outside the major urban areas. The plan envisages spending a higher amount per head of population in the largely rural Border, midland and west regions. The Government is confident that the co-ordinated efforts being made by the development agencies will further advance economic development and employment in western regions.