Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 July 2012
290 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the job creation-announcement target he set for or agreed with Enterprise Ireland for 2012, how much of this target it has reached at the end of June, what steps he is taking to support it in its efforts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36183/12]
View answerThe full year jobs target set for Enterprise Ireland is for 6,250 job commitments by client companies and EI is on track to meet this target. A total of 3,716 job commitments linked to EI approvals to client companies have been secured in the first half of 2012.
Employment data for Enterprise Ireland is collected annually as part of the Forfás Annual Employment Survey. The 2012 job creation results for Enterprise Ireland's client companies will be available in December 2012.
The outlook for net new job creation in 2012 is positive, although significant challenges remain such as uncertainty in international markets. The first annual Action Plan for Jobs contains over 270 actions to be implemented by all 15 Government Departments as well as 36 State agencies, and is intended to improve supports for job-creating businesses and remove barriers to employment-creation across the economy.
The Action Plan for Jobs 2012 is the first instalment in a multi-year process which aims to deliver on the Taoiseach's commitment to make Ireland the best small country in the world in which to do business, and increase the number of people at work in Ireland by 100,000, from 1.8 million to 1.9 million, by 2016.
Enterprise Ireland has a crucial role in the implementation of the plan and therefore will continue to be at the forefront of job creation for exporting indigenous companies. My Departmental Officials meet regularly with EI to monitor and discuss performance against agreed metrics and as part of the process of supporting the agency in its work.
I meet regularly with EI at board and executive levels. I am actively involved in and have had first-hand experience of their operations and the work of their personnel on the ground through various company events and the trade missions which I have led since my appointment as Minister
The close working relationship between my Department and EI will be strengthened with the introduction of a detailed Service Level Agreement between my Department and the agency which is currently being drafted.
