I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.
I am committed to the development of the Manufacturing Sector in Ireland and to the implementation of the two studies which I commissioned, i.e. the Manufacturing Strategy and the Future Skills requirements for Manufacturing, both published in 2013 and which are currently being implemented. It is heartening that the latest employment data for those engaged in manufacturing shows a significant increase since those reports were commissioned, representing an increase of about 13,000 jobs, meaning that we are well on the way to achieving the projected increase of 20,000 by the end of 2016. Taking into account both direct and indirect jobs, the sector now supports a workforce of about 437,000 people.
In relation to the initiative referred to by the Deputy, I arranged for this research project to look at the business case for the possible establishment of an Innovative or Advanced Manufacturing Facility to be included in the 2015 Action Plan for Jobs, as it is apparent that there may be a gap in Ireland's’ infrastructure for the support of manufacturing, especially in relation to the provision of research and training.
Organisations have not made submissions to my Department as part of this exercise. The process adopted is that IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland are working on developing a detailed business case and these Agencies are interacting directly with key stakeholders. They have initiated a number of workshops involving over 50 companies, from both the Multinational and Irish-owned sectors. An Industry Steering Group has been established and input from this Group and from Science Foundation Ireland is ongoing.
Given the ongoing status of the initiative it would be premature to anticipate at this stage what the final recommendation will be in relation to possible establishment, format and finances of a possible Centre. It is intended that this assessment process will be completed by Quarter 3 of this year, as specified in the Action Plan for Jobs.
