Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2006
393 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the proposed spending envelopes approved and set out by his Department for the foreseeable future; the broad objectives to be achieved by spending of such financial envelopes; the timescale set out for achievement of targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25968/06]
View answerIn accordance with the provisions of the Capital Investment Framework, a capital spending envelope for the five year period 2006-2010 has been approved for my Department by the Minister for Finance. The total value of the five year capital spending envelope is €2,494.1 million. This funding relates to capital expenditure programmes operated by a number of my Department's agencies. The following table sets out the full allocation to each agency/programme over the period 2006-2010:
|
Agency/programme |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
Total |
|
€’000 |
€’000 |
€’000 |
€’000 |
€’000 |
€’000 |
|
|
InterTrade Ireland (Business support) |
6,611 |
7,309 |
7,714 |
8,224 |
8,700 |
38,558 |
|
IDA (Grants to Industry) |
84,000 |
99,000 |
103,000 |
106,000 |
95,000 |
487,000 |
|
IDA (Building Operations) |
17,300 |
3,400 |
3,500 |
3,500 |
3,500 |
31,200 |
|
Enterprise Ireland (Grants to Industry) |
48,300 |
49,300 |
48,800 |
49,600 |
51,100 |
247,100 |
|
Enterprise Ireland (Grant for Capital requirements) |
3,900 |
3,400 |
3,400 |
3,400 |
3,400 |
17,500 |
|
Shannon Development (Grants to Industry) |
3,300 |
3,000 |
3,050 |
2,000 |
1,500 |
12,850 |
|
Science and Technology and Innovation Programmes |
232,865 |
250,322 |
278,032 |
303,446 |
339,300 |
1,403,965 |
|
City and County Enterprise Boards (Grants for Enterprise Development) |
17,600 |
18,022 |
18,454 |
19,376 |
20,000 |
93,452 |
|
National Standards Authority of Ireland |
834 |
742 |
550 |
1,558 |
1,500 |
5,184 |
|
FÁS |
30,390 |
25,505 |
12,500 |
12,896 |
16,000 |
97,291 |
|
Decentralisation projects |
— |
20,000 |
20,000 |
20,000 |
— |
60,000 |
|
Total demand |
445,100 |
480,000 |
499,000 |
530,000 |
540,000 |
2,494,100 |
The majority of the funding will be used to promote enterprise development and growth through employment grants, training grants, management development grants, grants for fixed assets and grants for research, development and innovation. Funding will also be used by IDA Ireland to support the provision of high specification property solutions as part of its strategy to continue to attract Foreign Direct Investment to Ireland. The allocation to the National Standards Authority of Ireland will fund the purchase of technical equipment, laboratory equipment, vehicles, accommodation, IT requirements and an extension to the agency's Limerick office. Funding to FÁS will provide for the refurbishment of its training centres and the purchase and replacement of training equipment.
The 2006 allocation to FÁS includes a sum of €4 million in respect of the agency's decentralisation programme. A further €60 million is provided for subsequent years of the capital spending envelope for decentralisation costs relating to FÁS, Enterprise Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority and the National Standards Authority of Ireland. It is expected that the funding for Science, Technology and Innovation programmes set out above will be increased in the course of the annual Estimates campaigns to support the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013 which was recently published by the Government.
Most of the capital expenditure programmes administered by my Department's agencies involve grant schemes which operate year-on-year. I will set out the main targets to be achieved under these programmes in the presentation of my Department's annual Estimate to the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business each year.
