Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2019
254. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the way in which she continues to liaise with the business sector throughout the regions with a view to the maximisation of investment in such a way as to enhance the opportunities for expansion in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20892/19]
View answerSince I have become Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have made regional enterprise development my top priority.
In February and March of this year I launched nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020. These new Plans build on the very strong progress made on employment creation under the Regional Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017.
Shaped from the ‘bottom-up’ by regional stakeholders, and overseen by my Department, the new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2020 complement national level policies and programmes emanating from the ‘top-down’ and, there is strong alignment with Ireland’s national enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025 Renewed and the Future Jobs Ireland initiative.
They are two-year, focused Plans, which set out a series of prioritised ‘Strategic Objectives’ that will help to drive business development and expansion in all of the regions. The Plans are also ‘live’ documents, so new initiatives can be adopted during their operation by the regional stakeholders working together. These stakeholders include: Local Authorities, the LEOs, the enterprise agencies, the Regional Skills Forum, tourism bodies, private sector ‘enterprise champions’, and others.
The principle behind the Regional Enterprise Plans is collaboration between regional stakeholders on initiatives that can help to realise the region’s enterprise development potential and add value to the ongoing core work of the enterprise agencies and other bodies.
The Regional Enterprise Plans enable continued dialogue with the enterprise sector in the regions. Each of the Regional Steering Committees established to oversee the implementation of the Plans is chaired by a representative from the business sector, which ensures that the enterprise perspective is at the forefront of the Committee’s work. The Committees also include a number of ‘enterprise champions’ and business representative organisations, such as the Chambers and Ibec, who are involved in driving implementation of many of the actions.
Alongside the collaborative structures that I have put in place through the Regional Enterprise Plans, the enterprise agencies and the LEOs continue to work directly with businesses on the ground in all regions.
Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for 2017-2020 aims to create a further 60,000 jobs, while sustaining existing ones, which will make an important contribution to jobs and the economic growth across all regions. In 2018, two-thirds (64 percent) of new Enterprise Ireland jobs were created outside of Dublin.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in every county are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own businesses. In February I announced very good results from the LEOs Offices around the country. Overall, they supported the creation of 3,656 new jobs (net) in 2018.
IDA meanwhile will continue to target a minimum increase in investment of 30% to 40% in each region outside Dublin to 2019. These investments are a combination of new name investments, expansions from existing overseas companies in Ireland and R&D investments. Over 2018, all regions saw increases in IDA employment, with the Midlands region experiencing the highest growth at 14 percent.
Finally, it is important to note that the Government has put several funding streams in place to support enterprise and regional development, including my Department’s €60 million Regional Enterprise Development Fund, and the Project Ireland 2040, that include in particular, the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund and the Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds.
Guided by the new Regional Enterprise Plans, the regions are well positioned to build on successes to date and to continue to see the benefits and results of collaborative and innovative initiatives that can make a significant impact on enterprise development in the regions.
