Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 October 2023
25. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on progress on the South East Regional Enterprise Plan; the funding for the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44290/23]
View answerBalanced regional enterprise development continues to be a key policy for me and this Government, and is reaffirmed in the Department’s White Paper on Enterprise.
My Department contributes to this agenda in several ways, including through the development, implementation and oversight of nine Regional Enterprise Plans.
The South-East Regional Enterprise Plan covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Waterford and was launched in Wexford on 24 March last year.
Each Regional Enterprise Plan is overseen and monitored by a Steering Committee made up of regional stakeholders and chaired by a senior level private sector businessperson.
I attended the last meeting of the South-East Steering Committee in workLAB in Waterford on 23 March. At the meeting an update was provided on the Plan's strategic objectives and associated actions, and I am pleased to report that good progress has been made to date. This is a reflection of the team driving the SE REP, and I wish to acknowledge it's Chair, Patsy Carney, the interim programme manager, Richard Hickey, and all on the steering committee whose dedication will no doubt see them realise the ambitious plans for the South-East region.
To that end, my Department has secured up to €145 million in funding to assist in delivering on the objectives set out in the nine Regional Enterprise Plans and support projects aligned to those Plans. This funding builds on the €126 million my Department has already allocated in regional enterprise funding.
Earlier this week I announced the first call amounting to €35 million under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme (SREIS). The overall objective of this Scheme is to drive job creation and enterprise development; it provides an opportunity for regional stakeholders to unlock potential from the bottom up through collaboration and will have a major impact in all regions of the country.
The Scheme is now open for applications on Enterprise Ireland’s website and the first call will close on 31 March 2024. I expect that there will be up to four calls under this fund over the coming years. I look forward to seeing innovative enterprise focused projects coming from the South-East region for this funding.
This funding will help support entrepreneurship, start-ups and scaling companies, primarily micro and SMEs, through the provision of appropriate infrastructure and key staff resources.
Finally, the Department is holding nine ‘Building Better Business’ conferences around the country throughout 2023. These focus on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation and the transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as showcasing the government and agency supports available to small and medium enterprises. Regional Enterprise Plan Chairs also have the opportunity to address attendees about the progress being made in the implementation of their Plans.
The most recent conference was held on 22 September in Dundalk and focused on the North-East region. The South-East event was held in July in SETU with over 100 in attendance, despite the inclement weather. The next event will focus on the West region and takes place tomorrow in Ballina, Co. Mayo.
I believe these conferences demonstrate the firm commitment of this Government to balanced regional enterprise development for all regions of Ireland, including the South-East.
