Written Answers Nos. 118-128
118. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the plans the Industrial Development Agency and Enterprise Ireland have for a vacant unit (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9358/13]
View answerIn accordance with the Industrial Development Acts, the management of industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day operational matter for the enterprise agencies and not one in which I have a function. The property mentioned is not under the ownership of IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland is aware, however, of the availability of this property and has included it on its property database of available office and manufacturing properties in Co. Kerry. This database is used to identify possible properties which might be suited to potential client needs. Enterprise Ireland also maintains a similar database of available properties on which the above property is included. Both Agencies have assured me that they are happy to show the property to future potential clients who require premises for investment in the area.
119. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the plans the Industrial Development Agency and Enterprise Ireland have for a vacant unit (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9359/13]
View answerIn accordance with the Industrial Development Acts, the management of industrial property portfolios is a day-to-day operational matter for the enterprise agencies and not one in which I have a function. I am informed by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland that the Pretty Polly building in Ballyspillane is owned and in trust to Killarney County Council. The Agencies have explained that the premises was formally a manufacturing facility and the options for the building in its present format are limited. Killarney Town Council is assessing the options for which the building may be used and, to this end, has commissioned Exodea Consulting to undertake a report on the development of the site and the potential uses for the building. A full report outlining the options for the building is expected in the near future.
120. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the input, if any, his Department has had into the review of Irish ports with a view to ensuring better regional balance within our €124 billion export sector. [9415/13]
View answerIn the context of the Action Plan for Jobs 2012 I asked the Competition Authority to carry out a study of the ports sector in Ireland. As part of this study, the Competition Authority met with a number of Government Departments and agencies, industry representatives, port companies, terminal operators, shipping companies, stevedores, freight forwarders, hauliers and other port users. The Authority also undertook a public consultation and I understand that the submissions received are currently being examined by the Authority. I am aware that the Authority met with and received a joint response from Forfás, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. I expect the Authority’s report to be published by Q4 of this year.
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, who is responsible for policy development and implementation in relation to ports, is also engaged in a review of national ports policy. I understand that Forfás, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland also made a joint submission to a public consultation that formed part of this review. I expect that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport will take account of the Competition Authority’s study in due course.
123. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which he and or his Department has evaluated the prospects for job creation in this economy over the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9442/13]
View answer124. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which he foresees job creation prospects in this economy in both manufacturing and the service sectors in each of the next four years; if any specific issues have emerged which might be likely to impede progress in these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9443/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.
Job creation is a key priority for the Government. The Action Plan for Jobs has set the objective of supporting the creation of 100,000 net new jobs in the economy by 2016 and making Ireland the best small country in which to do business.
In compiling the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs on behalf of the Government, one of my key priorities was to identify sectors where Ireland has particular strengths that offer potential for job creation. A number of individual sectors were targeted for attention in the 2012 Action Plan, including manufacturing and various services sectors.
Within my own Department’s remit, for example, IDA Ireland has targeted sectors such as Financial Services, Life Sciences, ICT, and Content and Business Services for specific support. Enterprise Ireland is supporting indigenous companies to develop opportunities in Manufacturing, Agri-food, Life Sciences, ICT, Business Process Outsourcing and the Green Economy, with a particular focus on export potential.
Some important work has also taken place by my Department and Forfas to develop a forward-looking strategy for the manufacturing sector.
The 2013 Action Plan for Jobs will build on the work carried out last year and will contain further measures to support growth in those areas of the economy that hold the greatest potential for job creation.
125. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of enterprises that have received approval in each of the past four years to date in both the manufacturing an/or service sectors which have encompassed the use of innovation and technology; the number of jobs created in the course thereof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9445/13]
View answerAs innovation and technology are aspects of employment across most sectors it is not possible to disaggregate the information as sought by the Deputy. Similarly, it is not possible to disaggregate the number of grant approvals by the enterprise agencies that are innovation and technology related in the manufacturing and services sectors.
My Department and its agencies are focused on the development and support of internationally trading manufacturing and services firms in Ireland, and have a clear and steady focus on the potential and opportunities that exist and can be created by prioritising innovation as a key driver of success. Enterprise development agencies, Enterprise Ireland (EI), IDA and Science Foundation Ireland, provide a spectrum of innovation and technology development programmes that deliver financial, technical and experiential support to help companies become more innovative, encourage and support competitiveness, and help them grow their sales and exports in order to create a climate in which sustainable employment will grow and expand.
EI is focused on the growth of world-class Irish companies to achieve strong positions in global markets and works directly with businesses, and the research and investment communities in Ireland to build sustainable competitive advantage for our economy. EI has a range of initiatives focusing on innovation which support businesses to compete sustainably in international markets, in the areas of Organisational and Management Development, Research and Development, Operations and Production, Finance and Investment, Business Strategy and Start-Up.
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs created in each of the past five years to date that have qualified for EU support under heading of science, technology and innovation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9446/13]
View answerStatistics on the creation of jobs under the heading of Science, Innovation and Technology alone in the enterprise base are not readily available. These are not industrial sectors per se and much of the modern enterprise base is underpinned by science, technology and innovation including for example, pharmaceuticals, ICT, agri-food, medical devices, engineering and even financial services which are developing innovative products and services.
The Action Plan for Jobs emphasises the significance of innovation and the use of technology as critical drivers of job creation in Ireland while seeking to maximise their impact in the coming years. Substantial ongoing investment is being made in Ireland’s national innovation ecosystem and in the supports that build the innovative capability in Irish enterprise. In tandem with this approach it is recognised that substantial international expertise and important sources of non-exchequer funding are available via EU research initiatives.
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish agency responsible for helping Irish companies and third level researchers to participate in the Seventh EU Framework Programme for Research (FP7) which has a budget of €50 billion over its 7 year timeframe which ends in 2013. FP7 offers valuable opportunities to companies of all sizes based in Ireland to participate in high-quality research collaborations with their European counterparts, with the support of EU funding. Collaborative Research forms the core of the FP7 programme, fostering collaborative research across Europe through transnational consortia of industry and academia.
Through Enterprise Ireland’s facilitation and financial support, Irish companies and academic researchers have secured in the region of €85M in 2011 and approximately €95m in 2012. The official returns for the preceding years were:
- €54.3M in 2008
- €68.9M in 2009
- €72.0M in 2010
This funding has provided a considerable increase in the innovative capability of Irish academics and industry over and above existing exchequer investments in this area.
127. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will set out the most commonly quoted obstacles to investment and job creation here; the extent to which reference is made to job losses in each of the past five years to date in order to assess the best methodology to address such issues in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9447/13]
View answer131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the most commonly presented reasons for job losses in the economy in the indigenous or foreign investment sectors in each of the past five years to date; the action taken or proposed to address any such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9451/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 131 together.
Businesses in Ireland and in most Western economies have been operating in a very difficult environment over the last number of years due to the global economic downturn. In general terms, job losses often arise due to a combination of issues affecting the long-term viability of a company, rather than a singular difficulty. However, some of the more commonly stated reasons for business decline and consequent job losses include:
- significant decreases in customer/market demand due to the recession in Ireland and in key trading partners;
- financial difficulties;
- increased costs;
- increased competition from competitor companies;
- loss of key customers; or
- rationalisation/consolidation/restructuring of Group structures involving the closure of a company unit.
Many of these issues would also be likely to have an impact on investment and job creation decisions. Through the Action Plan for Jobs process, the Government is attempting to address those issues that are within its remit to change.
Key areas which I have been working on directly to support job creation by enterprise include improving access to finance for businesses, reforming the statutory wage setting mechanisms, reducing other costs and administrative burdens for enterprise, improving our export performance, and supporting innovation. Details of progress on these measures are available in the Quarterly Progress Reports on the Action Plan for Jobs which are available on my Department’s website, www.enterprise.gov.ie.
In addition, IDA Ireland continues to attract significant levels of investment to Ireland from overseas. In 2012, the agency attracted 145 individual investments, with 66 of those from companies coming to Ireland for the first time. IDA Ireland client companies created a total of 12,722 new jobs in 2012, with net job creation of 6,570, representing the highest level of growth in a decade.
Enterprise Ireland client companies increased their employment by over 3,300 net jobs in 2012. The agency is promoting investment in indigenous firms through the Development Capital Fund, Innovation Fund Ireland and the Seed and Venture Capital scheme.
