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Enterprise Support Services Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2013

Thursday, 10 October 2013

Questions (37, 42)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

37. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on steps taken to enhance the engagement of the local manufacturing sector with island-wide networks. [42584/13]

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Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

42. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps taken to develop an island-wide employment and growth strategy. [42585/13]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 42 together.

The key mechanism for the development of cross-border business and enterprise activity is through the operation of InterTradeIreland, the North/South Trade and Business Development Implementation Body, which is co-funded by my Department and D’ETI. InterTradeIreland operates a wide range of innovative programmes designed to develop linkages and cooperation between SMEs in various sectors and to build on relevant strengths to the benefit of both jurisdictions.

InterTradeIreland provides all-island programmes on Technology Transfer, Collaborative Research & Development, All Island Innovation and Equity Finance. It operates Business Networks for the Software and Polymer & Plastics sectors and Business Angel Networks. In addition, ITI hold linkage events, for example last month’s 'Polymer Connections - A Bridging Borders Event' aimed at organisations in the polymer business or those who use polymers in the manufacture of their end-product, with the aim of finding collaborative business or research partners. This particular event also had a particular focus on the development of clusters in the sector.

In this way, I believe that InterTradeIreland, with its all-island trade and business development remit, is well placed to continue to develop networks on the island in key industrial sectors.

The Action Plan for Jobs represents the Government’s response to methodically reconfigure our economy so that long-term sustainable jobs are created and we can move to a new economic model and build a sustainable future.

The Manufacturing Sector is one of the sectors embraced by the Action Plan for Jobs and a series of actions to address Manufacturing in order to build and maintain a strong base of manufacturing activity have been included in the Plan for both 2012 and 2013. This developed as a result of the challenges facing the sector and of the imperative of supporting employment levels.

Following my establishment of the Manufacturing Development Forum in June 2012, the Forum was fully engaged and contributed a range of ideas and suggested priorities to research I commissioned from Forfás. This has resulted in a very comprehensive analysis, with a new Manufacturing Strategy finalised by Forfás and published earlier this year.

The Action Plan for Jobs process has been shared with relevant parties in Northern Ireland. In addition, I am glad to say that there is positive on-going engagement between my Department’s enterprise agencies and their Northern Ireland counterparts. Both sets of agencies are aware of each other’s offerings and they collaborate closely, where appropriate, on schemes and programmes that will result in job creation and growth.

From my own perspective, in relation to North South cooperation, I attend meetings in the Trade and Business development sectoral format of the North South Ministerial Council and, also, of the North South Plenary, which are hosted by either the Taoiseach or the First and Deputy First Ministers. At these meetings there is full engagement with Northern Ministers, and particularly at the sectoral meetings, where I have direct discussions with my NI counterpart, Ms Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, on a wide range of business issues of mutual interest including job creation generally and specifically in manufacturing.

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