Written Answers. - Border Counties Investment.
Bertie Ahern
Ceist:
54
Mr. B. Ahern
asked the
Minister for Enterprise and Employment
the net new jobs in manufacturing which have been created in the six Border counties since the Washington White House Conference; and the United States companies, if any, which have made investment decisions in the six southern Border counties since May 1995.
[22730/96]
While there have, of course, been a number of new manufacturing jobs created in the Border counties through inward investment since May 1995, I am assuming that the Deputy's question refers to those arising directly from the Washington White House Conference and subsequent Irish/US contacts.
No new jobs have, as yet, been created in the six Border counties as a direct result of the Washington conference. The purpose of this conference last year, and indeed the Pittsburgh conference this year, was primarily to put the focus on the Border area as a potential location for new US inward investment and to exploit the possibility of strategic alliances between companies from the region and suitable US companies. While we may have to wait some time for tangible results in terms of actual jobs created, I think, in general, this overall objective was achieved. A number of schemes, geared towards establishing partnerships between Irish and US companies were put in place and are continuing at the moment. Some of these apply to Irish firms nationwide while others are confined specifically to Irish companies in the North and the Border counties.
Even prior to the US conferences, Forbairt had, for example, inaugurated a number of partnership programmes such as the North Atlantic Partnership Programme (NAPP) which is operated in conjunction with the International Fund for Ireland. This is aimed primarily at information technology based companies, particularly in export-oriented services such as software development, data processing and telemarketing. Phase one of this programme has seen some nine companies from the Border counties currently in negotiations with potential US partners. This success prompted the launch of a further phase in April of this year, this being focused on technology-based manufacturing companies.
Another scheme, the American Management and Business Internship Training Programme (AMBIT) was launched at the White House conference in May 1995. The aim of this programme is to provide Irish managers and key personnel with US management training and access to new technology, products and services. Under the scheme, Irish participants are placed in US "host" companies for periods of up to six months. To date, six companies from the Border region have participated in this programme.
The foregoing programmes are just a small sample of what is currently happening in terms of Irish/US partnerships. By their very nature, the business of building partnerships is a lengthy process, the ultimate success of which depends on identifying suitable partners in the US and negotiating agreements which benefit both sides. The industrial development agencies under the aegis of my Department are committed to the concept of pan-Atlantic partnerships as an effective means of helping Irish companies with the necessary potential to access new technology skills, products and markets. The agencies have found that the key factor in promoting successful overseas investment to the Border counties, as well as the rest of the country, is the availability of the type of infrastructural environment consistent with the needs of modern industrial and service undertakings. The Government, through its various industrial development policy measures, is committed to creating such an environment and the agencies, for their part, are working hard to assist Irish firms improve their competitiveness and so increase their attractiveness to overseas clients.
