Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 24 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 4

Written Answers. - Industrial Development.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

43 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has satisfied herself that an adequate share of industrial development is being located in rural Ireland; her targets in this regard; and the measures, if any, proposed to achieve these targets. [8362/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The Government is committed to ensuring an equitable regional distribution of job opportunities and I have impressed on the industrial development agencies – IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland – the crucial importance of making even greater efforts to provide employment throughout the country. Recent announcements in respect of locations such as Sligo, Dundalk, Clonmel, Waterford and Mallow are concrete evidence of this.

In the case of potential investment from overseas companies, the agencies introduce the companies to locations which have particular strengths or suitable conditions for the projects concerned. Every effort is made to persuade companies to consider areas which have the highest need for employment or are having particular problems of industrial restructuring. On occasion, my Department has arranged for special task forces to assist local committees counteract unemployment shocks which had the potential to add to economic disadvantage. However, the final decision as to where to locate is made by the companies themselves, based on their assessment of their business needs.

With regard to indigenous or domestic enterprises, the question of location is determined by where new businesses are being started or existing ones are expanding. Again, the location is decided by the businesses themselves and the level of activity will depend on the entrepreneurial spirit within each region.

To encourage a greater regional spread, the agencies avail of a number of policy instruments such as making available, as appropriate, increased grant levels for potential investors in regional locations; stimulating and supporting a major programme of modern advance factory construction at key locations, with the involvement of the private sector; working closely with local authorities to have quality sites available at priority locations for new industrial investment; working closely with FÁS and local institutes of technology to identify specific skills which are available in the various regions.

The location decisions of any business depend on a number of factors, such as the availability of a skilled labour force, good infrastructure and efficient public utilities. Development in these areas is being addressed in the National Development Plan 1994-1999, and the forthcoming national plan will have a strong regional focus.