Written Answers Nos. 1-22
4. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the work of the IDA and all other agencies under the aegis of her Department in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42755/17]
View answerThe Government is committed to regional development and my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are as fairly distributed as possible across the country, including in Tipperary. While more work remains to be done in the County, it has made steady progress in job creation terms, with unemployment having decreased by 28% since 2011. At the end of last year total State agency supported employment in Tipperary stood at 10,157.
A key tool for supporting job creation and fostering enterprise in Tipperary is the Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative. This was launched in January 2015 and remains a central pillar of the Government’s work to create 135,000 new jobs outside of Dublin by 2020. Tipperary is covered by both the South East and Mid West Action Plans, with core objectives of both being an increase of 10-15% in the numbers employed by 2020 and the reduction of unemployment to within one percentage point of the State average.
The two regions in which Tipperary is situated have both made significant economic strides forward. The South East has seen good growth in employment over the last five years, with an additional 33,600 in employment in Q2 2017 compared to Q1 2012. The Mid West has also performed strongly and was the third fastest growing region in the country in employment terms from Q2 2016 to Q2 2017.
The implementation of the two Action Plans for Tipperary involves a wide range of stakeholders, both local and national. This includes representatives from the Local Authorities, the enterprise agencies and other key public and private sector stakeholders in Tipperary. All have been strongly involved in, and remain key drivers of, both the South East and the Mid West Action Plans for Jobs.
With regard to the IDA, its strategy for 2015-2019 is aligned to our regional development goals and includes a commitment to increase foreign direct investment in every region outside Dublin by 30% to 40% by 2019. I am pleased that the Agency’s 2016 results show that progress is being made towards that end, with 52% of all jobs created by the Agency’s clients last year based outside of Dublin.
The IDA remains focused on attracting further FDI to Tipperary. The Agency markets the northern and southern halves of the County respectively as parts of its national Mid-West and South East regions. There are a total of 12 IDA client companies currently situated across the County, collectively employing 3,368 people. Given the County’s significant manufacturing base, and its particular profile as a home to medical devices companies, the IDA strongly promotes Tipperary as an excellent location for new FDI from that wider sector.
The FDI base is complemented by a strong indigenous sector in both North and South Tipperary. Enterprise Ireland has 120 clients across the County and works closely with them – including from the Agency’s office in Shannon – to drive export growth and job creation. Enterprise Ireland has also invested significantly in companies situated there, with businesses receiving grants totalling €11.74 million from 2014-2016. Enterprise Ireland has funded as well five Community Enterprise Centres which provide important enterprise hubs in the county.
At local level, the Tipperary Local Enterprise Office successfully secured funding for five projects funded under Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Fund for LEOs. Additionally, a project from within the county was awarded funding to assess the viability of establishing a Food Centre of Excellence for Tipperary under Enterprise Ireland’s Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme 2016.
While we remain determined to achieve further progress in Tipperary, the overall enterprise trend in the area is one of steady improvement. My Department and its Agencies will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the highest level of investment and job creation possible is secured for County Tipperary in the time ahead.
14. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to support the retail sector in advance of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43028/17]
View answerI recognise that the impact of Brexit is one of the most immediate concerns facing the retail sector.
As a result, my Department has ensured that Retail representatives have been included in all relevant stakeholder engagements on Brexit, including the Enterprise Forum on Brexit and Global Challenges.
Brexit has also become a standing item on the agenda at meetings of the Retail Consultation Forum, which was set up in 2014 to provide a platform for engagement between the sector and Government.
Membership of this Forum includes retail associations such as RGDATA, Retail Ireland, Retail Excellence, other bodies such as ISME, SFA and Chambers Ireland, a number of retailers, the City and County Managers Association, and relevant Government Departments.
The Forum meets 3-4 times per year, with working groups meeting more often to progress the work programme. The current work programme is driven by the key concerns of the Forum members, which include developing skills in the sector, reducing business costs, town centre renewal, and the impacts of Brexit.
The Forum will meet next on the 20th of November. At each of the last four meetings, since the announcement of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, Forum members have been briefed on the Government’s approach to Brexit and work undertaken to date, and have had the opportunity to voice their concerns.
At its last meeting on 12th June, the Forum discussed the progress of its working groups on Retail Skills, Town Centre Renewal, and Reducing Energy Costs. Members were also briefed on research being undertaken by my Department into the firm-level impacts of Brexit in Ireland’s most exposed enterprise sectors, which will be completed by year end. This research is looking at the impact of the UK being outside of the European Single Market and Customs Union on firms, the associated implications for investment, and how this informs our approach to negotiations. A pilot of this research was undertaken from January to March in three sectors: wholesale/retail, food/drink, and computer consultancy.
Participants in the pilot identified the following areas as being the top three areas of particular concern post-Brexit to the Wholesale / Retail Sector: tariffs and rules of origin, physical border and free movement of labour.
Announcements made in Budget 2018 in addition to a number of initiatives developed by the Retail Consultation Forum, my Department and other Government Departments will strengthen the capability, competitiveness, and resilience of the retail sector to meet the challenges resulting from Brexit.
For example, my Department has secured Budget funding for a new Brexit Loan Scheme which will provide affordable financing to Irish businesses that are either currently impacted by Brexit or will be in the future. The new Scheme will be delivered by the Strategic Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) through commercial lenders to get much needed working capital into Irish businesses.
The new Brexit Loan Scheme aims to make up to €300 million available to businesses with up to 499 employees at a proposed interest rate of 4%. Retail businesses that are adversely affected by or will be affected by Brexit are eligible under this scheme as long as they submit a business sustainability plan which demonstrates how they plan to adapt, innovate or change in response to Brexit. I expect this scheme to be up and running by March 2018.
The retail sector will also benefit from the increase in disposable income through taxation and social welfare measures. Another welcome announcement for the retail sector, among others, is the retention of the 9% VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality sector. I am keenly aware that this has knock-on benefits to retailers, in particular in the regions.
Through the Retail Consultation Forum we are also focusing on building online capability. Through initiatives like the Trading Online Voucher scheme and work being done by the Retail and Skills Working Group, retailers will be supported in addressing digital skills gaps and moving into online trading. In line with this, under the Action Plan for Jobs, my Department is exploring the development of a pilot programme to support retailers to scale up their domestic and international online trading activity.
We are providing stakeholders with the tools to address the demise of the high street through “A Framework for Town Centre Renewal”, launched in April this year.
We are also assisting retailers to improve competitiveness by reducing their energy costs, through a pilot efficiency programme delivered through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Retailers also have access to supports such as the Enterprise Ireland Brexit SME Scorecard to assist with planning and preparation for Brexit; the business advice, training and capability building services provided by the LEOs and to Intertrade Ireland “Brexit readiness workshops” that are held around the country.
I also recognise that retailers are concerned about the impact of sterling fluctuations on Irish consumer sentiment; however the volume of retail sales is growing at a faster rate than the value of sales growth, which demonstrates that there continues to be heavy discounting by retailers and promotional activities to drive footfall and sales.
Engagement with the sector will continue through the Retail Consultation Forum, bilateral engagements with sector representatives, and Brexit-focused stakeholder engagement.
15. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question Nos 86 to 90, inclusive, of 28 June 2017, if the Workplace Relations Commission has completed the investigation; if so, the results of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42766/17]
View answerIn response to parliamentary questions asked by the deputy on 28 June 2017, I passed the information provided by the deputy at that time to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for further investigation. The Inspection and Enforcement Services of the WRC monitor employment conditions to ensure compliance with and, where necessary, the enforcement of employment rights legislation in Ireland. This includes redress for the employees concerned and payment of any unpaid wages arising from breaches of employment rights.
The deputy’s concern arose from reports that seafarers working within Irish waters were being paid below the minimum wage. The names of three specific companies were provided and I undertook to have this information investigated further through the offices of the WRC.
At my request, the WRC has carried out further enquiries into the issue raised by the deputy in relation to the three companies identified. The Mercantile Marine Office under the aegis of the Department of Transport Tourism & Sport maintains a general Register of Shipping in Ireland. This indicates that none of the companies identified have ships that are registered in Ireland.
As the vessels operated by these companies are not Irish flagged ships, the corpus of Irish employment legislation does not apply to them and therefore, the companies are not subject to inspection by the WRC. Conversely, Irish flagged vessels operating abroad are subject to Irish employment rights legislation, including payment of the National Minimum Wage.
I should point out to the deputy that primary responsibility for maritime policy and legislation underpinning that policy resides with my colleague Mr. Shane Ross, TD, Minister for Transport and Sport. I understand that, as a general rule the flag state (i.e. the state where the ship is registered) has the exclusive right to exercise jurisdiction over its ships on the high seas. In accordance with international maritime law and practice, enforcement of terms and conditions of employment are a matter for the flag State.
I understand also that non-Irish flagged vessels may be subject to port state control inspections by the Marine Survey Office for compliance in relation to relevant international conventions when they are in a port in the State. This includes the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention. However, this does not include issues in relation to wages which are a matter for the relevant flag state to enforce.
16. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the review Enterprise 2025 in view of Brexit and policy charges under the new US administration. [43164/17]
View answerEnterprise 2025 sets a roadmap for long-term enterprise development and resilience, with the ambition to achieve a step-change in the performance of our enterprises, to build a real and distinctive competitive edge sector-by-sector and to excel in creating a jobs-fit environment with top-3 competitiveness ranking.
The Action Plan for Jobs 2017, which I lead across Government, sets ambitious targets and actions to be delivered as part of Enterprise 2025.
The Review of Enterprise 2025 aims to ensure that our policy framework and priorities are robust and remain current in the uncertain environment. This review is being undertaken in the context of global changes that are likely to have an immediate impact on Ireland's enterprise development, and specifically Brexit and potential policy changes under the new US administration.
In addition the advances in digital technologies continue apace, opening up new market opportunities, spawning new global business models and impacting on every sector of the economy. Such advances can also pose challenges for companies in adopting technologies, whether in the factory or the customer experience centre, and reinforce the need for continuous skills development for those already in the workplace. While we are well placed to respond to these new developments and capture new opportunities, I am conscious that we need to work through, sector by sector, the necessary responses whether that is at firm level, or through investment in our innovation system or education system and that we have effective collaboration between the key stakeholders.
A senior-level Principal Officer forum has been established that includes representatives from a number of key economic government departments and the development agencies. Analysis of performance to date on the targets set shows good performance against the 30 metrics set out in Enterprise 2025 and solid progress on implementation of 56 strategic actions. A more comprehensive review of enterprise performance over the past decade, and since the publication of Enterprise 2025 has recently been completed. Informed by this evidence base, we will engage with industry and other stakeholders to debate the extent to which our priorities remain robust or need a greater emphasis in today's environment.
While there is a need to have a change in emphasis in the context of the highly uncertain external environment, we are continuing to focus on getting the fundamentals of our enterprise policy right as the Government has demonstrated in the Budget 2018 announced on Tuesday this week - including our continued focus on export-led growth, underpinned by investments in innovation and skills to respond to a changing world and our continuing focus on enhancing competitiveness and productivity. We are well placed to take advantage of technological advances, have invested significantly in world class research centres and benefit from having a strong base of both international and Irish technology-rich enterprises.
In today's particularly challenging times, I know that the potential set out in Enterprise 2025 and in the Programme for a Partnership Government for employment, exports, productivity and growth is ambitious. Notwithstanding that uncertain environment we are engaging continuously with enterprise stakeholders and we are taking mitigating action - not only in my Department and enterprise development agencies, but also across Government - so that we can achieve the ambition to create jobs for our people and a higher standard of living for all.
I and my agencies remain focused very clearly on the stretch targets set out in Enterprise 2025, which include reducing unemployment in each region to within one percent of the State average by 2020; achieving export growth in Irish-owned enterprises of 6-8 percent per annum; an increase in the number of startups by 25 percent per annum – startups with better survival rates – this would see us with 15,700 enterprise births a year; a 30 percent increase in the numbers of exporters of scale; an additional 1,080 inward investment projects; a 60 percent increase in EI enterprises spending more than €1m on R&D and winning €3.6bn in R&D related FDI; and, a 25 percent uplift in direct economic expenditures by agency supported companies.
My objective remains to complete this Review by the end of the year - and this review will be complemented by the Action Plan for Jobs 2018.
17. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent on the three year investment programme winning abroad which commenced in 2014; the value being obtained for this spend; the new sector and business opportunities which have been identified; the number of jobs that have been created; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43031/17]
View answerThe “Winning Abroad” Programme was launched by IDA Ireland in 2014. It provided for the engagement of up to 35 additional personnel by the Agency to deliver new jobs for people in Ireland. Its other key objectives included targeting new forms of foreign direct investment and broadening the geographic base from which the Agency seeks and secures overseas investment.
Since its inception, IDA Ireland has spent €11.1m on the Winning Abroad Programme. This comprised an outlay of €437,000 in 2014; €3.86 million in 2015; €3.86 million again in 2016; and €2.93 million in 2017.
The initiative has had a very positive impact in terms of job creation since its implementation, with a total of 3242 jobs having already been created. Moreover, the IDA expects the Winning Abroad Programme to have helped create 14,000 new jobs over the wider period between 2014-2019. This is considerably ahead of the target of 10,000 jobs that was originally set by the Agency for this initiative.
Another positive feature of Winning Abroad is that the jobs that are being created by the Programme are spread across a range of sectors. This includes areas such as life sciences, technology, digital media services, and financial services. To date team members hired under the Winning Abroad Programme have contributed strongly to the Agency’s overall results in these sectors, winning 140 investments in total.
The excellent value for money represented by the Winning Abroad Programme is not just measured in jobs created or investments won. Projects associated with the Programme have also made a significant overall contribution to the Irish economy, with those secured to date contributing €160 million in payroll, €61.7 million of which has been returned to the Exchequer through taxes. These figures are expected to increase even further over the time ahead.
In light of the excellent performance - and the value for money delivered - by the Winning Abroad initiative, it was decided earlier this year to place it on a permanent footing through the regularisation of its 35 posts within IDA Ireland. This will ensure that our economy continues to benefit from the increased stream of investment and job creation that the programme has helped bring to Ireland. It will also help provide the Agency with human resources it requires in the time ahead to seek and secure new investment opportunities abroad and to address the challenges and opportunities associated with Brexit.
The IDA is now better equipped in staffing terms than ever before. The Winning Abroad Programme has boosted the IDA’s permanent headcount by over 12%. This was in addition to the 10 additional Brexit posts that were sanctioned for the IDA as part of last year's budget. I am pleased that an additional €700,000 in funding via Budget 2018 is now being provided so that the Agency can engage 10 more personnel to respond to the challenges and opportunities associated with Brexit. I am therefore confident that IDA Ireland will remain capable of competing for and winning new foreign direct investment for the country.
18. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if funding will be provided for Ireland to join CERN in order that Irish businesses, scientists, researchers and students can benefit from the advanced scientific research taking place there. [43034/17]
View answer25. Deputy James Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland is one of the few European countries not to be a member of the European Southern Observatory (ESO); her plans to avail of the opportunity provided in view of the significantly beneficial membership terms that Ireland has been offered by ESO, which are time limited to 2017, and in further view of the significant research and commercial benefits of Ireland joining ESO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42764/17]
View answer26. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No.17 of 11 September 2017, if further consideration has been given to Ireland joining the European Southern Observatory in view of the benefits to Ireland which would ensue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43029/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 25 and 26 together.
Innovation 2020, the national strategy for research and innovation, recognises that in order for Ireland to become a Global Innovation Leader, our research and innovation system must be open with strong international collaboration links. Membership of leading International Research Organisations is an important mechanism for facilitating this engagement. For this reason, the Government gave a commitment in Innovation 2020 to explore Ireland's membership options with CERN and also the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
I am pleased that I have secured a capital allocation in Budget 2018 specifically to ensure Ireland's membership of ESO during 2018. This will cost €0.75 million in 2018 and increase to about €3 million in 2019.
This decision to proceed to join ESO first reflects an assessment of the costs and benefits of each membership. ESO has been prioritised over CERN because of the large, established community of astronomy researchers in Ireland. Astronomy is an active area of research in each of our universities and several of our institutes of technology.
This community is well positioned to avail of the opportunities provided by ESO membership, thereby maximising the immediate benefit to Ireland.
These opportunities include participation in pioneering frontier research, access to cutting-edge technology, commercial opportunities for enterprise, the creation of human capital and skills and the further promotion of STEM subjects in Ireland.
In addition, the companies in Ireland that have had great success in securing contracts from the European Space Agency are well placed to bid for ESO contracts due to the overlap between the technologies used by ESO and ESA.
Joining ESO in 2018 will result in significant savings to the Exchequer (in excess of €3 million) because ESO has agreed that if we join in 2018, it will calculate the once-off joining fee using our 2014 GDP, thereby excluding the impact of the 26% increase in GDP in 2015.
In parallel with this consideration of ESO membership, my department has also been assessing the case for membership of CERN.
CERN is a leading global scientific collaboration investigating the fundamental composition of matter. It was established in 1952 and currently has 21 member states and co-operation agreements with approximately 40 other states.
Regrettably, in view of the intense demands on the capital programme and the tight fiscal constraints it will not be possible to progress membership of both CERN and the European Southern Observatory in 2018.
I fully recognise the value of membership of International Research Organisations (IROs) and my department has an on-going objective to increase Ireland's participation in IROs. For example, in 2016 my department funded Ireland's membership of ELIXIR, the life sciences data infrastructure and in 2017 my department funded Ireland's membership of the International LOFAR Radio Telescope.
We will keep the issue of CERN membership under review and it is my hope that we will be in a position to progress CERN membership in the future, when the fiscal situation permits.
19. Deputy John Curran asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 31 of 11 September 2017, the progress that has been made to fill these vacancies in view of the threat of Brexit for business here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42771/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, an additional €3 million was secured for my Department in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 targeted specifically to assist with increased staffing needs for the Department and a number of our Agencies to deal with the evolving Brexit scenario. These funds are enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies to recruit additional staff to supplement existing staffing numbers in the context of the workload associated with Brexit.
The additional €3m was allocated as follows:
- Enterprise Ireland (€1,700,000)
- IDA Ireland (€750,000)
- Science Foundation Ireland (€150,000)
- The Health and Safety Authority (€150,000), and
- The Department itself (€250,000).
Since the parliamentary question to which the Deputy refers was taken, the following progress has been made in respect of filling Brexit related vacancies:
Of the 39 Brexit-related posts for Enterprise Ireland, 28 have been filled to date and 11 are currently under active recruitment. It is anticipated that seven posts will be filled by the end of October with the remaining four to be in place by year end.
The IDA identified an additional 10 client-facing posts and have filled seven of these to date. Recruitment is underway for the remaining three posts. In this regard the IDA is engaged in rigorous recruitment processes across a wide variety of channels to ensure that the best candidates are identified.
Of the three Brexit-related posts for Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), one appointment has been made with the candidate due to commence in November, and a second post is at contract stage with an anticipated start-date in January. The remaining post is anticipated to be filled shortly thereafter.
In addition, SFI has a number of existing staff allocated with Brexit related responsibilities and an internal Brexit team, led by one of its Senior Directors, focusing on Brexit related initiatives.
With regard to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), recruitment is underway for two Brexit related posts. In respect of one of the posts (Grade III Inspector) a recruitment campaign was conducted however as no suitable candidate was found, new interviews are scheduled for November 2017. In relation to the second post (Socio Economist), discussions are under way with other Agencies on the possibility of a secondment to fill this role. It is expected that both posts will be filled in 2017. Sanction for the HSA in respect of a third Brexit-related post is being actively considered by the Department.
With regard to my own Department, a dedicated Brexit Unit was established in 2016 and is led at Assistant Secretary level within the EU Affairs and Trade Policy Division, to coordinate and represent the Departmental and Agencies response to Brexit and to support me in my position at the Cabinet Committee dealing with Brexit. The designated official, at Assistant Secretary level, is supported by a staff compliment of five (one Principal Officer, two Assistant Principals, one Higher Executive Officer and one Clerical Officer). An additional staffing resource is currently being sought to support the Brexit Unit and it is hoped that an assignment will be made in the coming weeks.
The work of very many Business Units within my Department and our Agencies are impacted by Brexit. We are prioritising the Brexit challenges and will actively keep the staffing requirements under review through workforce planning.
Recently, a further additional €3 million in respect of Pay has been secured for my Department in Budget 2018, for the purposes of recruiting additional staff resources to further respond to Brexit and help meet the Government plans to double Ireland’s global footprint.
21. Deputy James Browne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the way her Department plans to offset the impact of Brexit in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42758/17]
View answerThe Regional Action Plan for Jobs imitative, launched in January 2015, is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin.
Importantly, the Plans have been embraced within the regions and implementation rates for actions within the published Progress Reports are in excess of 90% for each region.
There has been a substantial improvement in the South East region since the commencement of the National Action Plan for Jobs in 2012, with an additional 33,600 in employment in Q2 2017 compared to Q1 2012. There are now 13,000 more people in work in the region since the launch of the Regional Action Plan initiative in Q1 2015. Moreover, the unemployment rate in the South East region has fallen from 12.8% in Q1 2015 to 8.1% in Q2 of this year.
While external shocks, such as Brexit, may impact on regional job delivery in the future, the Regional Action Plans are flexible and dynamic and can be adapted to address Brexit challenges and opportunities arising within the regions.
In addition, all the enterprise development agencies have Brexit plans. Enterprise Ireland, for example, has undertaken the following actions to assist companies around the country navigate Brexit related challenges:
- Launched a ‘Brexit SME Scorecard’, a new interactive online platform which can be used by all Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit under six business pillars where they have not already done so.
- Launched a “Be Prepared Grant” that supports the costs of SME clients in preparing a plan to mitigate risks and optimise opportunities arising from Brexit.
- Launched a new Eurozone Strategy to assist Irish exporters increase exports to Eurozone countries by 50% by 2020.
- These strategies are supported by strategic communications campaigns, namely “Global Ambition”, “PrepareforBrexit” and a new “Irish Advantage” campaign which will target Eurozone buyers to promote Irish innovation in key Brexit impacted sectors.
- Ran a national Brexit roadshow, including events in the Border Region. Additional national Brexit roadshow will happen over the course of the coming months.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are providing: Brexit specific information sessions for both core and non-core clients in all counties; an online Brexit SME Scorecard that LEO clients can complete to self-assess their readiness for Brexit; and a Lean4Micro programme, which was designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisation to increase performance and competitiveness, particularly in relation to being Brexit-ready. In addition, the LEOs are now offering a new funding programme to assist micro-enterprises affected by Brexit by helping clients find new markets and exports.
The implications of the Brexit vote and the challenges and opportunities that the decision poses for all Irish Regions, including the South East region, continue to be considered by all Regional Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committees.
22. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will report on the recent Enterprise Ireland trade visit to the SPACE tradeshow; if animal welfare features in agri-tech innovations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42765/17]
View answerThe Food and Agribusiness sectors are vital to the prosperity of the Irish economy. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland supported clients reported exports of €21.6 billion, 49 per cent of this was from the Food Sector. Of the 201,108 people employed in Enterprise Ireland supported companies, just over 58,000 were from the Food sector (28.8%). Food sector clients represented 19% (just over 3,700) of the total jobs created in Enterprise Ireland companies in 2016 (19,244).
Ireland’s investment in research and innovation has been instrumental in strengthening indigenous enterprise, in securing, diversifying and growing foreign direct investment, in licensing new technologies, in establishing new companies, and in providing the highly educated workforce needed to grow the economy and contribute to society. Innovation is, and will continue to be, one of Ireland’s key differentiators.
Enterprise Ireland’s trade events are key supports for companies with global ambition and market diversification strategies. The agency’s programme of trade missions, trade fairs and knowledge events give clients the opportunity to connect with existing and new customers, access key decision makers, increase sales in international markets and exchange ideas. This is increasingly important in the light of Brexit and other global challenges.
In September of this year, Minister for Trade, Employment and Business, Pat Breen TD, led Enterprise Ireland’s delegation to SPACE, the largest animal production show in France. This trade visit focused on promoting the innovative capabilities of Irish agri-tech companies in areas including connected agriculture, the use of data in agriculture and progress in the area of automation and robotics. At this event Irish agri-tech companies showcased their innovations to over 100,000 attendees from 120 countries.
The trade visit also maximised business opportunities for Enterprise Ireland client companies to pitch their products to an audience of farmers, influencers and potential buyers in the specially convened ‘Enterprise Ireland Innovation Area’, the programme for which included:
Pitches from seven Enterprise Ireland agri-tech clients to potential customers;
A Technology in Agriculture panel which was addressed by Minister Breen followed by a short talk by Kieran Furlong, Finistere of the Agri tech landscape both in France and Ireland and the challenges and opportunities for the Agri tech sector in France presented by Jean-Baptiste Cuisinier, Président/CEO of CapAgro, France;
A networking area where Enterprise Ireland facilitated introductions between Irish client companies and French agri-tech decision-makers as well as potential partners and distributors in France; and
Business to business meetings between potential distributors and partners coordinated by the Enterprise Europe Network.
With regards to animal welfare, it is stated in all contracts between EI and client companies that the client must be compliant with all relevant national legislation. Enterprise Ireland itself is not responsible for such legislation – that falls under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I am aware that their Competitive Research Programme has provided over €3.6 million in funding to seven ongoing or recently completed projects that include in the scope of their work ideas surrounding the adoption of technology-based tools in order to address animal welfare challenges. Any further questions on this would be a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.
