Written Answers Nos. 151-161
151. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to detail the number of sponsored site visits by enterprise agencies to counties Cavan and Monaghan in each of the past seven years by each of the agencies; the number of these that were successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5210/15]
View answer152. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of jobs created in each of the past seven years in enterprise agency-supported companies in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of jobs lost in each of the past seven years in enterprise agency-supported companies in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5211/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 152 together.
I am informed by IDA Ireland that in the period 2008 to 2014 inclusive, there were a total of 12 IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits by potential investors to counties Cavan and Monaghan. The number of such visits to each county in each year are set out in the following tabular statement A. Enterprise Ireland’s core focus is supporting the internationalisation of indigenous companies and the Agency does not arrange site visits of a type similar to IDA Ireland.
I understand from IDA Ireland that investments resulted from some of these visits, but for reasons of client confidentiality and commercial sensitivity, the Agency does not comment publicly on the success rate of such site visits.
Details of the gross jobs gains and losses in IDA Ireland client companies in Counties Cavan and Monaghan in each year from 2008 to 2014, inclusive, are set out in the following tabular statement B. The number of permanent full time jobs gained and lost in Enterprise Ireland client companies, in each of those years are shown in tabular statement C.
As the Deputy is aware, the Action Plan for Jobs 2015 was launched on Thursday last, 29 January. This is the fourth annual plan in a multi-year process, which started in 2012. When the First Action Plan for Jobs was launched, unemployment stood at 15.1%. Today it stands at 10.6% and we are on track to exceed our target of 100,000 additional jobs by 2016. We are now setting a goal to bring employment to 2.1 million by 2018 – 2 years ahead of our original target.
In the CSO Quarterly National Household Survey for Q3 2014, unemployment continued to fall in the Border Region (which includes Monaghan and Cavan). The current unemployment rate in the Border Region is 11.7% (down from 17.7% in Q3 2012) a remarkable improvement over the last 2 years. 18,000 extra people are at work in the region over that period.
Meanwhile, I am working with IDA and Enterprise Ireland to get certain projects across the line in the Cavan – Monaghan area which will deliver investment and jobs.
Table A
IDA Ireland-sponsored Site Visits Cavan/Monaghan (2008-2014):
|
County |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Cavan |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Table B
Employment for Cavan and Monaghan (2008-2104):
|
County |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
|
Cavan |
New Jobs Created (Gross Gains) |
14 |
30 |
92 |
5 |
10 |
15 |
27 |
|
Cavan |
Gross Losses |
-49 |
-70 |
-71 |
-28 |
-54 |
-8 |
-26 |
|
Monaghan |
New Jobs Created (Gross Gains) |
7 |
7 |
45 |
7 |
29 |
13 |
|
|
Monaghan |
Gross Losses |
-40 |
-18 |
-17 |
-66 |
-11 |
-12 |
-103 |
Table C
Annual Employment Survey Jobs Created and Lost in Enterprise Ireland Client Companies in Cavan & Monaghan 2008-2014
|
Cavan |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
PFT Gain |
802 |
73 |
111 |
337 |
374 |
140 |
394 |
|
PFT Loss |
-431 |
-896 |
-466 |
-643 |
-244 |
-243 |
-92 |
|
Monaghan |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
PFT Gain |
293 |
107 |
253 |
344 |
294 |
359 |
382 |
|
PFT Loss |
-1038 |
-822 |
-271 |
-275 |
-142 |
-249 |
-107 |
153. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to set out the position regarding entitlements in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5234/15]
View answerUnder the provisions of Section 8 of the Payment of Wages Act 1991 a Rights Commissioner’s decision may be enforced as if it were an order of the Circuit Court. A formal request for such an order may be filed in the County Registrar’s office by the person seeking the order. Where a person’s former employer was a limited company and the company is in liquidation or receivership, the person may claim for payment of an award under the insolvency payments scheme. The purpose of the insolvency payments scheme, which operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act, 1984, is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. These entitlements include wages, holiday pay, sick pay, payment in lieu of minimum notice due under the Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment Acts, 1973-2001, and certain pension contributions. Various other statutory awards made by the Employment Appeals Tribunal, Rights Commissioners, etc., are also covered by the scheme. There are statutory limitations on the amount payable. An Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, has responsibility for the administration of the payments from the insolvency payments scheme.
There are companies which cease trading without engaging in a formal winding-up process and in some such cases those employers may owe monies to their employees. Such employees are not eligible for payments under the insolvency payments scheme.
I am informed that the Department of Social Protection is currently reviewing the position to establish what, if anything can be done to progress payments to individuals in these situations. The Department of Social Protection is not in a position to indicate when this review will be completed.
154. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to outline his plans to encourage foreign direct investment in Drogheda, Ardee and Dundalk, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5261/15]
View answer155. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to detail the number of current active leads by the IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland by location in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5262/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in County Louth is thriving. In the four year period from 2011 to 2014 employment in IDA Ireland client companies in county Louth has doubled. The latest Annual Employment Survey shows that there are 23 IDA Ireland client companies in County Louth employing 3,029 people in full and part time employment while the corresponding figure for 2011 showed that there were 1,511 employed in IDA Ireland supported companies. In the same four-year period there were a total of 52 IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits by potential investors to the county.
County Louth has strong clusters in international business services, with companies in the region such as eBay, Coca-Cola, National Pen and International Fund Services; and in manufacturing with companies such as Cargotec and Becton Dickinson. These international brands are an attraction for additional companies to potentially locate to the North East region. In 2014 alone Becton Dickson announced a €16m investment and expansion of its headquarters in Drogheda while PayPal announced the expansion of its facility in Dundalk with creation of a further 400 jobs.
County Louth also has a strong base of indigenous industry across a wide range of sectors. In fact as recently as this morning, I was happy to be in Dundalk for the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art Customer Engagement Centre established by SalesSense, Ireland’s leading sales solution provider, which will lead to the creation of 100 jobs during the year. There were 4,797 people employed in Enterprise Ireland assisted companies in County Louth in 2014. Enterprise Ireland’s core focus is supporting the internationalisation of indigenous companies and the Agency does not arrange site visits of a type similar to IDA Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland recently launched a number of initiatives in the North East region (which includes County Louth) including the Competitive Feasibility Fund for the North East Region, which was launched in October 2014. An Enterprise Start event was held last week on 27th January in the Dundalk office with 12 participants. Over €5.4m in funding to companies was approved in 2014.
In terms of infrastructure, Enterprise Ireland has supported five Enterprise Centres in County Louth, which include the Science Services Centre at Finnabair Business Park, the Creative Spark Enterprise Centre on the Inner relief road at Muirhevnamor and more recently The Mill Enterprise Hub in Drogheda.
As the Deputy is aware, the Action Plan for Jobs 2015 was launched on Thursday last, 29 January. This is the fourth annual plan in a multi-year process, which started in 2012. When the First Action Plan for Jobs was launched, unemployment stood at 15.1%. Today it stands at 10.6% and we are on track to exceed our target of 100,000 additional jobs by 2016. We are now setting a goal to bring employment to 2.1 million by 2018 – 2 years ahead of our original target.
We are determined that every region will benefit from the recovery and we will be announcing over the coming weeks and month a series of actions to help drive the achievement of this goal.
156. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when the regional enterprise strategy for the west, which includes counties Roscommon, Leitrim and Galway, will be rolled out; if he has specific job creation targets for counties Roscommon, Leitrim and Galway as part of this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5328/15]
View answerThe 2015 Action Plan for Jobs which was published on 29 January includes a commitment to develop and publish a suite of Regional Enterprise Strategies to support enterprise growth and job creation in every region of the country. These Strategies will include a series of specific actions to be delivered by a range of public bodies and local stakeholders, building on the particular strengths and assets of each region. The areas to be covered by the Regional Enterprise Strategies correspond to the eight NUTS III level regions at which data is collected by the CSO. Under this classification, the West Region is comprised of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Leitrim is included in the Border Region, along with Cavan, Donegal, Louth, Sligo and Monaghan.
The first two Regional Enterprise Strategies to be developed will cover the Midlands and the South East regions respectively. Following a consultation process in the Midlands, my officials are currently finalising the preparation of the Regional Enterprise Strategy for that region.
Consultation with stakeholders on the Strategy for the South-East region will commence over the coming weeks and work on developing the other Regional Enterprise Strategies will follow on a rolling basis. My objective is that six Regional Enterprise Strategies, including those for the Border and West regions, will be launched by July, with the two remaining Strategies in development. It is not intended that specific job creation targets will be set for each county in the Regional Enterprise Strategies, but, rather, that the Strategies will identify measures that can be taken to enable each region as a whole to realise its economic potential and create jobs, building on its existing competitive strengths.
157. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation whether IDA Ireland and the Government have sourced any alternative employer that is interested in creating alternative employment for those impacted by the MBNA downgrading; and whether the marketing pack produced by IDA Ireland and MBNA management brought interest from any new potential investors, Irish or foreign-based, in the facility (details supplied). [5329/15]
View answerA series of actions are being implemented by local and national bodies to source an alternative employer and find alternative employment for those impacted by the MBNA redundancies, which unfortunately took effect on November 28th last. An inter-agency group, led by Enterprise Ireland, has been formed and its membership includes representatives of all the relevant State players. This Group has met on a monthly basis and is providing a coordinated approach to the needs of the affected staff and ensuring that all necessary steps are put in train to pursue an alternative employer.
The IDA, through its global network, continues to market the former MBNA facility to a range of potential investors and Enterprise Ireland is also marketing it to its client base. The availability of a skilled pool of the former MBNA employees is being highlighted.
There have been a small number of preliminary enquiries about the facility, both from foreign owned and Irish owned businesses but it is too early in the process to be specific about their potential.
With regard to Regional Development, under the 2015 Action Plan for Jobs which I launched recently, it is intended to develop and publish a suite of Regional Enterprise Strategies, based on consultation with key stakeholders at regional level and on the analysis of the strengths of each region. The process will commence with the publication of strategies for the Midlands and South East regions. Similar strategies for the other regions will be commenced over the course of the year, on a phased basis All will include specific actions for all the enterprise development organisations and other public bodies active in each region, to promote enterprise growth and job creation. Of course specific issues and factors relevant to particular regions, such as the MBNA closure, will be fully embraced in the new Strategies.
158. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to detail the number of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland-supported jobs that have been created in counties Longford and Westmeath since 2011; if he will confirm the locations of these jobs in these counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5334/15]
View answer159. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of visits by IDA Ireland to Athlone and Mullingar in County Westmeath and to County Longford for every year since 2011 to 2014 and from 2015 to date. [5336/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together.
I am informed by IDA Ireland that there were 43 IDA-sponsored site visits by potential investors to County Westmeath since 2011. There were no visits to County Longford during this period. The number of visits to Co. Westmeath in each of the years 2011 to 2014 are set out in the following tabular statement (A). For reasons of commercial sensitivity and client confidentiality information in relation to site visits is given on a county by county basis only. While IDA Ireland does seek to influence, decisions as to where to visit and where to locate is ultimately a matter for the investor.
IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have a strong presence in Counties Longford and Westmeath. Counties Longford and Westmeath are home to 22 IDA Ireland client companies employing 3,055 people. As well as the FDI sector, there are 5,796 people employed in 149 Enterprise Ireland-supported jobs in Westmeath and Longford. The Annual Employment Survey shows that since 2011, there were a total of 2,537 jobs created in IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland companies in Westmeath and Longford in the period 2011 to 2014, 780 of which were created in IDA Ireland client companies with 1,757 being created in Enterprise Ireland supported companies. The breakdown of employment in respect of the years 2011 to 2014 in Co. Westmeath and Co. Longford and by agency is outlined in the following tabular statements (B).
Information for the Annual Survey is gathered on an annual basis and aggregated at county level. Data is supplied by individual companies on a confidential basis for statistical purposes only so it is not possible to provide information in respect of individual locations. Counties Longford and Westmeath are part of IDA Ireland’s Midlands Region, along with the counties of Roscommon, Laois and Offaly. The Region has a strong cluster in Medical Technology and Life Sciences and is home to key IDA Ireland clients such as Ark Consulting in Longford and Abbott, Covidien, Integra, GeneMedix elsewhere in the region generally. In addition, the region is home to International Business Services companies such as Teleflex, AXA, NPD Group and PPD. All of these companies are an attraction for potential IDA Ireland clients to locate in the Midlands and to provide employment opportunities for people living in both Westmeath and Longford.
The IDA Mullingar Business and Technology Park is an essential infrastructure to provide for FDI clients and also for indigenous companies interested in developing their business in the Midlands. For example, Patterson Pumps acquired a 1.62 hectare site from IDA under leasehold title in the Mullingar Business and Technology Park and are currently on site.
Growing both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and indigenous enterprise is key to Ireland’s economic recovery. I am glad to inform the Deputy that 2014 was a record year for both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland in terms of investment wins and job creation, with 7,131 net new jobs being created in IDA Ireland client companies and 8,476 net new jobs being created in Enterprise Ireland client companies.
As the Deputy is aware, the Action Plan for Jobs 2015 was launched on Thursday last, 29th January. This is the fourth annual plan in a multi-year process, which started in 2012. When the First Action Plan for Jobs was launched, unemployment stood at 15.1%. Today it stands at 10.6% and we are on track to exceed our target of 100,000 additional jobs by 2016. We are now setting a goal to bring employment to 2.1 million by 2018 – 2 years ahead of our original target.
We are determined that every region will benefit from the recovery and we will be announcing over the coming weeks and months a series of actions to help drive the achievement of this goal.
Table shows the number of IDA Ireland sponsored Site Visits by potential investors to County Westmeath from 2011 to 2014 (A).
|
- |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Westmeath |
15 |
7 |
9 |
12 |
Employment in IDA Ireland supported companies in Longford and Westmeath 2011 – 2014 (B)
|
Longford |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Total Jobs |
658 |
696 |
701 |
650 |
|
New Jobs Gains |
6 |
44 |
25 |
10 |
|
Westmeath |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Total Jobs |
2,123 |
2,262 |
2,216 |
2,405 |
|
New Jobs Gains |
161 |
177 |
131 |
226 |
Employment in Enterprise Ireland supported companies in Longford and Westmeath 2011 – 2014
|
Longford |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Total Jobs |
1,650 |
1,677 |
1,820 |
2,360 |
|
New Job Gains |
86 |
116 |
147 |
258 |
|
Westmeath |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Total Jobs |
2,411 |
2,592 |
2,854 |
3,436 |
|
New Jobs Gains |
339 |
275 |
313 |
223 |
160. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to set out the number of staff from his Department or agency under his remit working out of a Government building at a location (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5592/15]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that there are no staff of my Department, or the agencies under its remit, at the location in County Laois specified.
161. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a site inspection for an agri-environment options scheme application for 2013 and 2014 (details supplied) will take place in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5194/15]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2012 Agri Environment Options Scheme (AEOS 3) with effect from the 1 May 2013 and full entitlements have issued in respect of the 2013 Scheme year. A review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that three of the land parcels declared contained ineligible features. However, while the person named was notified of this decision and of his right of appeal on two separate occasions, firstly on 11 September 2013 and secondly on 12 June 2014, his appeal has only been received in the last few days, specifically on 26 January 2015.
Following the review of my Department’s decision, as sought by the person named, a visit by a Department official to verify the position on the ground is now necessary. The person named will be advised, in writing, of the findings of the verification visit as soon as possible following the visit. In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this verification check, the decision can be appealed to the independent LPIS Appeals Committee, within 4 weeks of the notification letter.
The AEOS application of the person named in respect of the 2014 Scheme year is currently being processed based on the reduced area and 75% payment will issue shortly. The balancing 25% payment will follow thereafter. Should the current SPS review result in a further adjustment to the 2014 parcel areas, any necessary adjustment to AEOS payments already issued will be made.
