Vol. 510 No. 2
32 Mr. B. Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures that will be implemented to ensure a better distribution of job creation, bearing in mind the needs of the Border region and particularly the need to attract inward investment to County Cavan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21977/99]
The Government is committed to ensuring an equitable regional distribution of job opportunities. In the forthcoming National Development Plan 2000-06 the objective for regional policy will be to achieve balanced regional development in order to reduce the disparities between and within the two regions – the Border, midland and western region and the southern and eastern region – and to develop the potential of both to contribute to the greatest possible extent to the continuing prosperity of the country.
With regard to potential investment from mobile projects, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland introduce companies to locations which have particular strengths or suitable conditions for 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. However, of course the final decision as to where to locate is made by the companies 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 and the level of activity will to a large extent depend on the entrepreneurial spirit within each region.
