asked the Minister for Finance in respect of licences issued to companies proposing to operate in the Customs House Docks Financial Services Centre (a) the number of licences issued and the name of each licensee; (b) the numbers employed by each licensee in the business which qualifies them as licensees, at the time of issuing of the licence; (c) the names of the licensees not operating in Ireland at the time of granting of the licence, who had previously traded here, and their employment content at the cessation of that trading; (d) the number of additional jobs created to date by each licensee as a result of the licence being issued; and (e) the name of each licencee who had no previous presence in Ireland, either directly or through a subsidiary or associate firm at the time of granting of the licence.
Written Answers. - Financial Services Centre.
As regards (a) of the Deputy's question, I have to date given certificates to seven companies under section 39B of the Finance Act 1980 (inserted by section 30 of the Finance Act 1987). These companies will be locating in the International Financial Services Centre in the Custom House Docks Area as soon as suitable premises become available there. The companies are: Gandon Securities Ltd, KB Financial Services (Ireland), Ltd, North Wall Street Investments, Reflex International Financial Services Ltd, IBI International Finance Ltd, Ulster International Finance Ltd, and Cambridge International Finance Ltd.
As regards parts (b) and (d) of the question, the crucial information on employment obtained by my Department is the employment target which each company is committed to achieve over a three-to five-year period. While it would not be appropriate to reveal details of the conditions imposed on individual companies, I can tell the Deputy that the seven companies certified to date have undertaken to create a total of 162 jobs. The other 30 projects approved to date but which have not yet commenced trading involve 811 jobs. I do not have the further information requested by the Deputy under (b) and (d).
In relation to (c) of the Deputy's question, none of the seven companies specified above were previously trading in Ireland and had ceased to trade at some stage before certification.
With regard to part (e) of the Deputy's question, although the seven certified companies are connected with other companies in Ireland, the activities of all the companies certified by me to date are new activities and there has been no displacement of jobs associated with their establishment in the Centre.