Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 July 2013
473. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new start-up businesses that were established in Waterford in 2012 and in the first half of 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35348/13]
View answerI understand from the Central Statistics Office that they do not have the data in question. I should also point out that the Enterprise Development agencies, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the County and City Enterprise Boards, within the remit of my Department, support only a proportion of the start-ups that might be established in any county and they do not support all of the businesses that may have been established.
Both Waterford County Enterprise Board and Waterford City Enterprise Board continue to develop indigenous potential at a local level primarily through the provision of financial and technical support for the development of small and micro-enterprises. Enterprise Board statistics are collated on an annual basis and figures in respect of 2013 will not be available until the first quarter of 2014. In 2012, Waterford City Enterprise Board paid out funding of €316,507 to 21 projects and Waterford County Enterprise Board paid out €267,248 to 21 projects. These projects include start-up and established microenterprises. Between 2012 and to date in 2013, Enterprise Ireland has approved over €260,000 in Feasibility funding to 12 separate start-up projects based in Waterford. In addition, four Waterford based companies, first supported as HPSU's in 2011 were approved follow-on funding between 2012 and 2013, totalling €4 million.
To date, Enterprise Ireland has provided over €2.5 million in capital funding to ArcLabs in the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), under its regional innovation strategy and continues to work with WIT to ensure the potential of emerging companies is maximised. Enterprise Ireland also works in partnership with WIT under Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme. Under the 2012 Programme, 9 entrepreneurs are being incubated in WIT and provided with funding of €15,000 each over a six month period. New Frontiers 2013 in WIT is due to begin later this year.
Waterford is part of IDA Ireland’s South East region along with counties Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary. In marketing the region for new inward investment, IDA concentrates its efforts on Waterford City and on the towns of Wexford and Kilkenny and the county towns of Carlow, Clonmel and Dungarvan. In addition, IDA actively engages with its existing client companies to ensure their long-term sustainability and to encourage their growth, development and continuing reinvestment. Waterford has had a long and strong track record as a centre of manufacturing expertise but, in more recent years, there has been a significant growth in advanced manufacturing, particularly in the Life Sciences, International and Financial Services sectors. At present, there are 30 IDA companies in Waterford employing 4,526 people in full-time employment and another 504 people in temporary and part-time employment.
Earlier this year, together with the Taoiseach, I announced that Nypro Healthcare, an IDA Ireland supported company, is to establish an additional state of the art medical device manufacturing facility in Waterford, which will result in the creation of over 200 new high quality jobs in Phase One. In addition, Sanofi announced that it will invest €44 million in its Waterford site.
The South East Employment Action Plan has a number of recommendations which the relevant agencies and stakeholders are charged with implementing and work is ongoing with agencies and stakeholders working together to maximise benefits for the region. The South East Forum, established to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan, will continue to examine ways that would lead to job creation and investment opportunities in the South East, including Waterford.
