Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 5

Written Answers. - Job Creation Figures.

Eric J. Byrne

Ceist:

13 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the number of jobs created by each County Enterprise Board in the most recent year for which figures are available; the average cost per job created in each County Enterprise Board area; the proposals, if any, he has to review the operation of the County Enterprise Boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1582/96]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

Based on information supplied by the 35 county enterprise boards for 1994 and 1995 (the latter remains provisional at this stage), some 4,478 full-time and 945 part-time jobs have been created by CEB-grant assisted projects at a cost of £18,476,716 (includes the cost of feasibility studies), of which 2,702 full-time and 682 part-time jobs were created in 1995. Taking two part-time jobs as the equivalent of one full-time job, this gives an average grant cost per job of £3,732. I should emphasise, however, that these provisional figures are in no way comparable with the cost per job sustained ratios which are based on jobs created by national agencies such as Forbairt and IDA Ireland and subsequently tracked over a seven year cycle.

Details of the jobs created in CEB-assisted enterprises from the commencement of the County Enterprise initiative to 31 December 1995 are set out in the following table which I intend to circulate with the Official Report.

County enterprise boards have been operating since the end of 1993 through the provision of financial support and advice to small businesses, including assistance to the self-employed in setting up their own businesses. While the main benefits of the programme so far have been the volume and the diverse sectoral spread of financial incentives in the form of employment, capital and feasibility grant support, the range of activities undertaken by county enterprise boards was significantly extended beyond direct grant-giving last year to include the provision of advice, information and counselling and management development training.

My Department will carry out a review of the implementation of county enterprise plans in the course of 1996. The review will be undertaken at two levels: assessing the progress achieved at the overall level of the local enterprise programme; and at that of each particular county enterprise board. The review will examine the success of the boards in achieving the aggregate quantitative and qualitative targets set out in the programme, and in the enterprise plans prepared for each area.

This review will also contribute to the mid-term review to be carried out under the Community Support Framework. I believe that the current OECD Country Review of Local Development in Ireland should also serve as a valuable guide to possible improvements to facilitate greater effectiveness, accountability and subsidiarity in the operation of the various local development strategies.

Jobs Created in CEB-Assisted Enterprises to 31 December, 1995

County	1994 Full Time	1994 Part Time	1995 Full Time	1995 Part Time
Carlow	52	0	98	73
Cavan	45	15	61	70
Clare	67	20	105	47
Cork City	35	0	60	0
Cork North	32	0	40	0
Cork South	34	0	156	0
Cork West	39	9	36	0
Donegal	35	0	49	8
Dublin City	118	0	134	0
Dublin Fingal	29	2	148	0
South Dublin	24	5	51	1
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown	50	0	50	0
Galway City & County	319	51	139	29
Kerry	25	8	140	0
Kildare	32	0	58	0
Kilkenny	22	3	78	11
Laois	39	12	114	12
Leitrim	53	4	42	2
Limerick City	47	8	67	0
Limerick County	30	1	76	33
Longford	65	13	82	12
Louth	21	2	64	31
Mayo	69	32	133	42
Meath	44	3	49	7
Monaghan	27	1	69	8
Offaly	36	0	66	10
Roscommon	80	16	57	37
Sligo	53	21	65	61
Tipperary North	29	4	42	30
Tipperary South	19	3	17	0
Waterford City	78	0	94	45
Waterford County	11	4	48	7
Westmeath	29	0	33	13
Wexford	61	18	68	12
Wicklow	27	8	113	81
Total	1,776	263	2,702	682