Written Answers. - Live Register.
Rory O'Hanlon
Question:
133
Dr. O'Hanlon
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the plans she has to ensure work is available for those on the live register in Counties Monaghan and Cavan; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[16670/01]
The provision of jobs in any particular area is a day to day matter for the industrial development agencies and not one for which I as Minister would have a direct responsibility.
The Government, through the enterprise development agencies, is committed to ensuring an equitable distribution of job opportunities and to encouraging the establishment of industry in the regions. The Border, Midlands and West (BMW) region, which includes Counties Monaghan and Cavan, is a priority area for employment promotion for the agencies concerned – IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland – which promote overseas industry and indigenous industry, respectively.
IDA Ireland has refocused its strategy with the aim of delivering half of all new greenfield jobs into the BMW region in the coming years. To ensure this objective is achieved, IDA Ireland has re-organised its internal structures and allocated additional staff to its regional offices and opened a new regional office in Cavan. Other initiatives include putting a greater focus on the marketing of the regions for specific sectors and the improvement of marketing material for the regions. IDA Ireland's incentive package is also strongly geared in favour of the BMW region.
In Cavan, following intensive marketing by IDA Ireland of the 25,000-square-feet advance factory in the IDA business park, Teradyne Inc. announced in November 2000 its intention to establish a manufacturing plant in Cavan. The company plans to invest £50 million in a technology business campus and create 740 jobs within five years.
The IDA is also firmly focused on County Monaghan, with an intensive marketing programme under way for the area. A modern quality business park has been planned for the 30-acre land bank at Knockaconny on the outskirts of Monaghan town. This initiative includes an immediate commitment to invest £100,000 in enhancing and upgrading the site to meet the needs of foreign direct investment. The IDA has been granted planning permission to construct a 25,000-square-feet advance building capable of accommodating e-business or state-of-the-art manufacturing projects. Tenders for the construction of the building are being processed and the IDA is in discussion with developers with a view to commencing construction by September of this year. The authority has also provided a site at Knockaconny for the development of the Armagh-Monaghan digital corridor initiative. Contracts have been signed for the construction of a 20,0000-square-feet high-quality incubation building, which will provide work space for the information technology and knowledge-intensive industry.
For its part, Enterprise Ireland is addressing the development needs of its client companies in the north east region. To this end, it has taken action across a range of initiatives. These include working directly with individual companies, working at a sectoral level with groups of companies, and working to encourage the development of new start up enterprises.
The north east regional office of Enterprise Ireland works closely with the community groups within Cavan and Monaghan to assist, by way of funding, the building of enterprise centres. At present, three enterprise centres have been completed in Monaghan and two are in the course of construction, with the Farnham Innovation and Technology Centre in Cavan town near completion, bringing the number of enterprise centres assisted by Enterprise Ireland in County Cavan to seven.
The Monaghan and Cavan county enterprise boards, which last year supported projects that provided 149 and 61 full-time jobs, respectively, will continue to assist job-creating enterprises through the provision of capital, employment and feasibility study grants.
