Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 June 2017
78. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the principle in the confidence and supply agreement to prioritise regional development across all policy areas and to examine all options for increased credit availability. [30765/17]
View answerRealising the potential of all regions throughout Ireland is a key concern for my Department. Our Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is working to promote regional and rural job creation by bringing different stakeholders in each of the eight 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.
The Plans are driven in each region by Implementation Committees, comprising representatives from the Enterprise Sector, as well as the Local Authorities, Enterprise Agencies, and other public bodies in the region. 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 most recent figures from the CSO also show that 70% of all jobs created in the past year were created outside Dublin. The ambition set out in Enterprise 2025, launched as recently as November 2015, is to ensure that unemployment in the regions is within 1% of the State average. Considerable progress is being made, and as of the first quarter of this year five of the seven regions outside of Dublin have met that objective - with the Border region marginally outside of our ambition at 1.1% greater than the State average.
In addition, my Department is working closely with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government on the development of the new National Planning Framework (NPF). This engagement, informed by Enterprise 2025, relates to a number of issues including the role of enterprise, the factors that shape the potential of each region, the need to cater to the differing development potential and requirements across regions to optimise potential for growth and the importance of investments in economic infrastructure (and combinations of infrastructures) to support economic development.
Access to finance is the life-blood of any business, and we continue to support new start-ups and our SMEs' efforts to deepen market penetration, diversify to new markets, invest in RD&I and in plant, machinery and technologies. My Department continues to engage with enterprise and to work with the Department of Finance and SBCI to identify and address the specific needs of business - particularly as they face greater challenges in light of Brexit.
