Written Answers Nos. 246-265
246. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a new Bus Éireann bus stop can be established in County Carlow (details provided); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39296/16]
View answerThe National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure such as bus stops, bus shelters, bus stations and bus stands. Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
247. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of State boards under the remit of his Department or its agencies in tabular form; the total number of members of each board; the number of women on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of women. [39353/16]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy relating to State Boards is available on my Department's website at the following link http://www.dttas.ie/corporate/english/state-board-membership-and-approved-fees. The overall percentage of female board members currently stands at 27%.
I am currently considering means by which the appointment processes can be enhanced to ensure in so far as possible the best appointments are made, in doing so I will also be cogniscant of the need to meet the Government's gender balance target.
248. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of staff employed by him and each Minister of State, including parliamentary assistants, secretarial assistants, special advisers, press secretaries and other positions, in tabular form; the pay rate for each assistant and the total cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39560/16]
View answer249. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if any staff employed in the public and Civil Service are seconded to work with him or any Minister of State in their constituencies; the number of same and cost to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39575/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 249 together.
There are six politically appointed staff in my Department. The information as requested by the Deputy is provided in the table.
|
Minister |
Role |
Salary Range |
|
Minister Ross |
Special Adviser |
€79,401 - €91,624 |
|
Press Adviser |
€79,401 - €91,624 |
|
|
Personal Assistant |
€43,715 - €56,060 |
|
|
Personal Secretary |
€24,420 - €47,755 |
|
|
Civilian Driver |
€34,700 |
|
|
Minister of State O'Donovan |
Personal Assistant |
€43,715 - €56,060 |
|
Personal Secretary |
€24,420 - €47,755 |
|
|
Civilian Driver |
€34,700 |
|
|
Civilian Driver |
€34,700 |
All of these staff were appointed in line with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Guidelines on the staffing of Minister and Minister of State's offices.
One public servant is seconded to Minister O'Donovan's Constituency Office in a salary range of €25,756 to €42,889.
250. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to make regulations under section 58 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 imposing specific requirements as to facilities and arrangements for first aid arrangements in gyms, including the provision of defibrillators and staff trained in their use and in CPR; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39163/16]
View answerThe Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 imposes a responsibility on employers to ensure the safety of his or her employees. This responsibility extends to the provision of suitable first- aid facilities dependent on the number of employees. The statutory requirements regarding the provision of first aid are set down in Chapter 2 of Part 7 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2016. This legislation requires employers to have a sufficient number of trained occupational first aiders and first aid equipment in the workplace, based on a risk assessment. These provisions apply to all places of work and all employers, including employment in gyms, the responsibilities imposed by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and its related Regulations do not extend beyond the provision of first aid facilities to employees. While the issue of wider public safety is not within the remit of my Department, some work places can include areas accessible to the public areas, such as gyms, and in these cases it is the responsibility of the management to ensure there is a trained first aider and first aid equipment available. The Health and Safety Authority’s Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Work, published in 2008, provide a practical guide to employers including help in determining the number of trained occupational first aiders required having regard to the number of employees and the type of industry involved.
It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that adequate first aid training is provided to an employee who is designated to be occupational first aider. The employer is required to make the appropriate arrangements for first-aid training. Under the terms of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, any employees attending such training shall not be at any loss for their participation in such training. The employer is also responsible for ensuring that designated employees are afforded the opportunity to refresh their first-aid training at regular intervals and at a minimum of every two years.
The comprehensive guidance and information in the HSA Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Work includes information on occupational first aid training standards and certification, and the requirements for Occupational First Aid training providers.
There is no legislative requirement on an employer to have an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in the workplace. However, it is good practice, in line with the advice for employers in the HSA Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Work, for employers to consider the provision of an AED in the workplace. This may not, of course, prove to be feasible for some small businesses in view of the potentially high initial costs and the need to ensure ongoing maintenance. There are, however, good examples of a number of small businesses combining in a shared arrangement, notably in work locations such as shopping centres, gyms and small business enterprise centres. The operation of defibrillators (AEDs) is part of the initial and refresher training provided for occupational first aiders.
The provision of first aid arrangements and the supply of defibrillators in facilities intended for recreational use does not come under the remit of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
251. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if and when a work permit will issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39217/16]
View answerAn application for a General Employment Permit was received on 27th November 2016 in respect of a foreign national whose data most closely corresponds to the details provided. All employment permit applications are dealt with strictly in order of date of receipt of a valid application and fee. The current processing date for standard employer applications is 25th October 2016.
252. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total amount expended on mediation services by the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, annually in the 2014 to 2016 period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39227/16]
View answerThere are no specific figures available for the cost of delivering mediation by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) nor is there a separate budget allocated for the service.
The funding of the WRC is within the overall Vote allocation of my Department. In this regard the WRC was allocated €12,570,000 in 2016 for provision of workplace relations services, including mediation, conciliation, facilitation and advisory services, adjudication on employment and equality complaints, the monitoring of employment conditions to ensure the compliance and enforcement of employment rights legislation, the provision of information, and the processing of employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licences.
The WRC was established on the 1 October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. It incorporates the functions of the Labour Relations Commission (including the Rights Commissioner Service), the Equality Tribunal, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (first instance jurisdiction only), and the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA).
Prior to the establishment of the WRC, mediation was conducted as part of the day to day operations of the Equality Tribunal and the Labour Relations Commission.
Under section 39 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015, the Director General of the WRC may, where she is of the opinion that a complaint or dispute is capable of being resolved without being referred to an adjudication officer under section 41, refer the matter to a mediation officer.
The WRC provides mediation and workplace mediation as part of the day to day operation and function of its Conciliation, Facilitation and Mediation Service when required.
253. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total amount expended on mediation services by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, annually in the 2014 to 2016 period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39229/16]
View answerThe Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and EU competition and consumer law in the State. Section 9 (5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 provides that the CCPC is independent in the performance of its functions. I, as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation have no direct function in the day to day operational work of the CCPC. However, I understand that the CCPC has not engaged any mediation services since its establishment in October 2014.
254. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total amount of her Department’s budget spent on the action plan for jobs in terms of advertising and campaign promotion in 2016 and 2017, broken down by the amount of funds per each regional action plan for jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39230/16]
View answerThe Action Plan for Jobs is working. Based on the latest CSO data released earlier this week, 189,500 additional people are at work since the start of the Action Plan for Jobs Process in 2012. Over the last twelve months, an additional 56,500 are at work. The unemployment rate is now down to 7.9%, from over 15.1% in 2012. Over 72% of the additional jobs created were outside Dublin. The Department does not advertise its annual Action Plan for Jobs, the first one of which was launched in February 2012, and each year since.
A key thrust of the approach to supporting job creation has been to develop a concerted effort to raise awareness of the supports available to firms through a one-stop website. In response to a well-recognised demand for more information on Government supports for SMEs, the Department decided to run an awareness campaign to address this deficit. Following a tender process in the Official Journal of the European Union, a successful tender was identified. This awareness campaign uses the web address of the Action Plan for Jobs as a landing page for those interested in using the Government's online SME tool which helps explain what supports one might qualify for. The campaign used business representative groups like SFA, ISME and Chambers Ireland, as well as experienced and young entrepreneurs in the advertising to raise awareness of the supports available. In 2016, there were payments totalling €13,779.83 in relation to this campaign, which was a carryover from 2015. There was no additional expenditure in 2016.
255. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total number of work permits issued by her Department to date in 2016 in tabular form, broken down by the number of permits issued to each company; if her Department made any inquiries as to whether the positions had previously been advertised domestically; her views on the proportion of work permits being sought by some companies with respect to their overall Irish workforce size; her view on the skills set shortages in the sectors that these work permits cover; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39231/16]
View answerThe State's general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State or the EEA. The employment permits system is intended to offer an interim solution where specific skills prove difficult to source within the EEA; it offers a conduit into the Irish labour market for non-EEA nationals with in-demand skills and is operated as a vacancy-led system.
The Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List (HSEOL) and the Ineligible Categories of Employment List (ICEL) which are used to manage the employment permits system, are reviewed twice a year in order to ensure their ongoing relevance. Changes to access to the Irish labour market for specific occupations via the employment permits system are made on the basis of research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) in tandem with a consultation process, as part of a package of measures to meet those skills needs. Any changes to the lists are made with due regard not only to their potential impacts on the resident labour market but also to upskilling and training that is in place. These bi-annual reviews ensure that the employment permit system is responsive to the skills needs of enterprise in Ireland while ensuring that priority access to available employment is given to the resident Irish and EEA workforce.
The globalised nature of 21st century enterprise means that the flow of personnel and expertise between states and facilities is a core element of business practice, and the regulatory systems of the State must balance the interests of the labour force and economic development in this context.
The inflow of foreign expertise brings a range of positives to the State. Much of the expansion, for example, of the multi-national business sector over the past decade has been predicated on the access of the companies in question to skill sets which have not always been available in the resident labour market at the level or scale that has been required. The State’s economic migration policy has sought to ensure that the skills needs of enterprise are met while safeguarding, the resident labour market. The State deploys a number of safeguards across employment permits and employment rights legislation to protect the labour market from distortion.
The Employment Permits Acts provisions that to protect the resident labour force include a requirement that, for eligible occupations that are not included on the HSEOL, a Labour Market Needs Test must be undertaken, thereby ensuring that the position has been offered to Irish and EEA nationals prior to its offer to a non-EEA national. The employment permits system in Ireland, in addition, features a requirement that companies seeking employment permits for prospective employees should maintain a balance of at least 50:50 EEA employees to non-EEA employees. With limited exceptions, such as a start-up situation, an employment permit will not be granted where more than 50% of the company’s staff are non-EEA nationals. The 50:50 rule helps to prevent large scale outsourcing of employment in Ireland to non-EEA nationals.
8798 employment permits have issued in the year to the end of November. Details of employment permits issued by company is available on my Department’s website at: https://www.djei.ie/en/Publications/Publication-files/Companies-issued-with-permits-2016.xlsx.
256. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of positions filled under the IDA’s winning abroad programme in 2014; the duration of these employments; if all such positions will be retained when they cease; the number of persons on the programme that will be retained by the agency for 2017; if she allocated funding in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39232/16]
View answerThe “Winning Abroad” programme was launched by IDA Ireland in 2014. It allowed for the engagement of 35 additional personnel by the Agency in order to deliver additional new jobs for Ireland before 2017/2018. Other key objectives of the programme have included targeting fast-growing alternative sectors and broadening the geographic base from which the IDA seeks and secures investment for Ireland.
The IDA has employed 34 individuals under the programme, although the current number stands at 33. The contracts of all these employees are on the basis of three-year fixed-term durations. As these officials were appointed at different times, however, the conclusion date of their contracts varies accordingly, with a number due to expire next year.
Significant resources are being provided for the IDA in 2017. This includes a capital allocation of €137 million - representing an increase of 22% on 2016 - and additional monies for the Agency’s pay and non-pay costs.
257. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will review a case (details supplied); if she will intervene in this process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39257/16]
View answerThe Deputy should note that Labour Court operates as an independent adjudicative body in carrying out its statutory function and as such it is not appropriate for me to intervene in this or any other matter relating to that function. However, I understand the matter relates to an industrial relations dispute. The case was referred to the Labour Court under Section 20(1) of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 and was heard by the Court on 16th June 2016. The Court’s recommendation dated 20 June 2016 recommended that in addition to the statutory redundancy payment already paid, the Company should pay the employees an ex-gratia redundancy payment of 1.5 weeks’ pay per year of service, subject to a ‘cap’ of €72,000 on the total amount. I understand that the employees concerned are seeking the additional 1.5 weeks ex-gratia payment recommended by the Labour Court.
The position is that in industrial relations matters under Ireland's voluntary system of industrial relations the Labour Court operates as an industrial relations tribunal and is not a court of law. It hears both sides in a case and then issues a recommendation setting out its opinion on the dispute and the terms under which it should be settled. Recommendations made by the Court concerning the investigation of disputes under the Industrial Relations Acts 1946-2015 are not binding on the parties concerned; however, the parties are expected to give serious consideration to the Court's recommendation.
Ultimately, under the Industrial Relations Acts, responsibility for the settlement of a dispute rests with the parties.
258. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she has noted positive or negative investment trends associated with Brexit to date; her plans or proposals to capitalise on or combat these trends; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39314/16]
View answerIt is too soon to accurately assess the implications of Brexit on investment into Ireland. The full impact will only become apparent in time. As it stands, however, I am informed by IDA Ireland that the Agency is on track to achieve broadly similar results for 2016 as it did last year.
Planning for Brexit – and particularly its potential effects on foreign direct investment (FDI) – has long been a priority for both my Department and IDA Ireland. Before the EU-UK referendum, the Agency established a team of senior managers to examine and prepare for the impact of Brexit on FDI into Ireland. This work intensified following the referendum result in June. The IDA continues to engage with existing and prospective clients to ensure that its strategy remains fit for purpose in light of the various challenges and opportunities that Brexit may present for Ireland. I am also in regular and frequent contact with the Agency regarding its Brexit-related strategies and requirements.
259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied that this country remains an attractive location for foreign direct investment, competitive with all other EU countries and outside the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39315/16]
View answer262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which foreign direct investment, FDI, continues to create jobs here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39318/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 262 together.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) remains a vital contributor to Ireland’s economic development and growth. The role it plays in sustaining employment in Ireland is well-documented: approximately one out of every five private sector jobs here directly or indirectly results from FDI. Multinational companies also, of course, contribute to our economy in other ways, whether through the taxation generated for Government revenue or their support for research and innovation.
There is no denying that the global FDI market is increasingly competitive and that Ireland must fight hard to win each and every new investment. I am confident, however, that our offering to prospective investors remains attractive. Our selling points include our pro-enterprise business environment, competitive economy, first-class workforce and proven track record as a home to global businesses. Our continued membership of the Eurozone and European Union is also a significant positive, particularly in light of Brexit. The Government will continue to work hard to reinforce these strengths while also taking steps to address any areas where we need to improve.
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she continues to liaise with her counterparts in other EU member states in the context of extending opportunities for Irish exports post Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39316/16]
View answer261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied that losses to Irish exporters through Brexit can be offset by new opportunities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39317/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 261 together.
The direct trading relationship between Ireland and the UK is significant with €1.2 billion traded between our two countries every week. The UK is and will continue to be a very important market across a wide range of sectors. EI continues to help a large number of companies deepen their presence in the UK by identifying new opportunities and providing additional support in that area while at the same time working with them to grow and broaden their export customer base into other new international markets.
In 2015, the UK and US each accounted for some 17% of total Irish exports with Germany and Belgium each accounting for over 7% and France at 4.7%.
However, the reliance of indigenous exports on the UK markets has been diminishing over the last number of years – exports from EI client companies to the UK decreased from 45% in 2005 to 37% in 2015 showing the success of diversification strategies are working.
At my request, Enterprise Ireland has extended its schedule of Minister-led Trade missions. EI will also be organising a series of exploratory Market Study Visits for companies to visit new markets to assess the potential for developing business opportunities.
Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to;
- Immediately strengthen our ability to penetrate the UK market so as to sustain and grow exports
- Immediately strengthen our ability to penetrate other key markets to reduce dependence on the UK
- Invest in programmes to ensure that clients have the finances, the innovation, the leadership and the scale so as to grow in international markets.
- Strengthen the ability at local and regional level to generate more start-ups and businesses with export potential
Ireland strongly supports the ambitious trade agenda of the EU and supports the active role that the EU plays at the WTO. Our active role in trade will help shape globalisation for the benefit of our economies and our societies.
Ireland will continue to make the most effective use of the framework of trade agreements that the EU already has in place, and to support the opening of new markets through the EU.
Ireland works closely with the European Union to ensure that markets remain open and that new market opportunities are created.
The EU has a framework of 50 bilateral trade, partnership, association and multi-party sectoral trade agreements under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). These agreements directly benefit Ireland.
We are also working with the EU to conclude “new generation” trade and investment partnerships which will cover rules and standards.
These ambitious and comprehensive agreements will help make the trade and investment environment in third countries easier and more predictable. I continue to work with counterparts in other EU Member States to promote and advance an ambitious and broad range trade agenda for the benefit of Irish exporters.
263. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she expects innovation to play a distinct role in this country's economic performance in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39319/16]
View answerSupporting innovation is a key pillar of Ireland’s enterprise policy given the role of innovation in driving productivity, competitiveness and thereby the creation and maintenance of jobs. Innovation 2020, Ireland's cross-governmental strategy for Research and Development, Science and Technology, is based on a shared vision of Ireland becoming a Global Innovation Leader, driving a strong, sustainable, high employment economy and a better society.
Key to achieving the vision in Innovation 2020 is ensuring that our enterprise base remains resilient and internationally competitive. My Department and its agencies have a clear and steady focus on the potential and opportunities that exist and can be created by prioritising innovation and technology as a key driver of success.
Achieving the vision outlined in Innovation 2020 will mean that there will be:
- More enterprises engaged in RDI, including enterprises in the locally traded sectors, to drive productivity performance;
- More enterprises progressing from early engagement with RDI to embedding innovation as a key part of their business model in a self-sustaining way;
- Businesses across the enterprise base embracing new technologies to build successful business models;
- Achieving innovation leadership in key sectors where we can sustain a competitive edge;
- Greater utilisation by enterprises of the research assets of our Higher Education Institutes, by engaging with Research Centres and Technology Centres;
- Greater success in translating intellectual property or new thinking into commercial products and services - by providing better supports for knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, infrastructure for test-bedding, and access to funding.
Over the course of the strategy, we will further enhance State support for commercialising research and for transferring knowledge from the public research system into enterprise. This will result in more licensing of technologies and the creation of more spinout companies and ultimately jobs.
264. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which economic development continues to spread evenly to all regions throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39320/16]
View answerThe Action Plan for Jobs is the Government’s key instrument to support job creation. The Action Plan for Jobs is working. Almost 190,000 more people are at work today than in 2012 when the first Plan was launched. The original target was to add an extra 100,000 jobs by the end of 2016. In the first nine months of 2016, 48,500 new jobs were created.
The unemployment rate was 7.3% in November 2016, down from 15.1% when the first Action Plan was launched in Q1 2012.
Employment has been growing continuously for 16 quarters and over the past year employment has grown in all regions. 72% of all jobs created in the past year were created outside Dublin.
I am currently working with ministerial colleagues to develop the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs. My priority is to ensure that the Plan is ambitious and impactful and keeps us on track to deliver on this Government’s goal to help create 200,000 additional jobs by 2020, including 135,000 outside Dublin. The success of the Regional Action Plans for Jobs is crucial to the Government in meeting this objective.
The Regional Action Plan initiative is working to address regional and rural job creation by bringing different stakeholders in each of the 8 regions together to identify innovative and practical actions, to be taken across a range of Departments and agencies, with clear timelines for delivery over the period 2015 – 2017.
Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in each plan’s development, and will be central to each plan’s delivery.
The first Progress Reports prepared by the 8 Regional Action Plan Implementation Committees have now been completed. While at an early stage, the reports show that good progress is being made in the implementation of the Regional APJs. All regions are on target to meet or exceed the job targets to be delivered by 2020.
The reports will be published shortly.
To support the regional jobs agenda, additional funds will be made available through the enterprise development agencies on a rolling basis out to 2020.
Last June, I announced an initial allocation of €5m in competitive funding for 48 local and regional initiatives under two of these calls. All regions benefited under this initiative.
In addition, as part of this process, my Department and Enterprise Ireland are both currently finalising proposals for:
a) a €40m regional funding initiative in respect of a large scale fund aimed at supporting significant innovative and collaborative projects and activities, and
b) a further competitive regional fund initiative (€5m) to support the development of community-based enterprises and networks that have the potential to grow and sustain jobs in their area.
Both funds will be rolled out in Q1 2017.
In addition, €150m will be made available to the IDA to support its Regional Property Programme and drive job creation in the multinational sector.
265. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her vision for the development of the economy regardless of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39322/16]
View answerEnterprise 2025 sets out a vision for Ireland as the best place to succeed in business, delivering sustainable employment and higher standards of living for all. The overarching ambition is to reach 2.18 people in employment by 2020, with growth delivered throughout the country. We aim to achieve and retain a top three competitiveness ranking.
We aim to generate growth that is sustainable, that is driven by exports, and underpinned by innovation and competitiveness.
We aim to realise a step change in the performance of our enterprises by 2020 to deliver, for example:
-a 60 percent increase in Enterprise Ireland supported enterprises spending more than €1 million on R&D;
-a 50 percent increase in exports in Irish companies – and increased market diversification to non-UK markets;
-an additional 1,080 inward investment projects and €3.6 billion in R&D related FDI; and
-a 25 percent per annum increase in start-ups and start-ups with better survival rates.
We are not blind to the possible implications of Brexit. I have secured additional resources so that we can redouble our efforts. The enterprise development agencies are actively engaged in supporting enterprises as they navigate through these challenging times, and to identify potential FDI opportunities.
Enterprise 2025 is a comprehensive strategy. It sets out actions that include a focus on building competitive advantage, on ensuring a supportive business environment, and on realising a significant uplift in the performance of enterprises based here in terms of innovation, export potential and productivity, and in attracting further investment.
We will continue to focus on taking action in the right areas to support enterprise as set out in Enterprise 2025. This focus does not change because of Brexit.
Just as the whole of Government responded to the severe unemployment challenge we faced post the global economic downturn, I am confident that we are responding and will continue to respond to the challenges and opportunities that Brexit presents.
