John Ellis
Question:125 Mr. Ellis asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will give details of all incentives available for the establishment of industry in the BMW region. [14948/01]
Written Answers. - Industrial Development.
The provision of incentives for the establishment of industry is a statutory function of the industrial development agencies, and not one in which I as Minister would have a direct function.
However, a wide range of such incentives for the BMW region, and tailored to the requirements of client companies, are operated by the industrial development agencies under the aegis of my Department. Details of incentives such as capital, employment, research and development and training grants, as specified in the national development plan, are available from the appropriate agencies: IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development. Under EU guidelines, the industrial development agencies are permitted higher limits in relation to the levels of incentives offered to the BMW Region – Objective 1 – as compared with the rest of the country – Objective 1 in Transition. The agencies have also established new regional structures to implement their strategies designed to achieve more balanced regional development.
Over the past 18 months, IDA Ireland has radically changed its policies with the aim of delivering half of all new greenfield jobs into Objective One regions in the coming years. This target was achieved during 2000. In the Objective One regions IDA has acquired a number of additional sites and also upgraded many of its sites to business park standard. Furthermore, it has arranged in partnership with private developers, to provide advance factories and advance offices in a number of key locations.
The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to work in partnership with client companies to develop a sustainable competitive advantage leading to a significant increase in profitable sales, exports and employment. Enterprise Ireland's Strategy – 1999-2001 – sets out a range of targets to be achieved over the period and also articulates a strong regional focus for driving regional economic development. More recently, Enterprise Ireland has developed a regional strategy, Driving Growth in Regional Enterprise, for the achievement of balanced regional development.
Shannon Development, which is the regional development company for the Shannon Region and which includes Clare and south west Offaly in the BMW region, will concentrate on key projects which are capable of significant economic impact for the benefit of the region. The company has also set itself the objective of achieving a more balanced spread of development throughout the Shannon Region. The incentives offered by Shannon Development in the BMW region are essentially the same as those offered by Enterprise Ireland. In addition, the 13 county enterprise boards which deal with micro-enterprises in the BMW region are empowered to offer assistance at various levels.