Vol. 524 No. 1
40 Mr. Yates asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific strategies undertaken in her Department to provide, encourage and develop enterprise in specific geographic locations; the support provided by her Department for such development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21635/00]
The Government is committed in the National Development Plan 2000-2006 to the achievement of balanced regional development over the period of the plan. The objective of balanced regional development will be achieved by focusing greater investment in infrastructural and industrial development in the regions over the period of the plan.
IDA Ireland, in pursuance of this objective, is committed to delivering half of all new greenfield jobs into the Objective One region in the coming years. This involves doubling the proportion of greenfield jobs negotiated for these regions. In addition, IDA is working with existing overseas companies in the regions generally to move them up the value chain by adding business functions of higher sophistication and complexity. This will improve the viability of these companies in the longer term.
In establishing Enterprise Ireland in 1998, I specifically mandated the new agency to play a strong role in regional economic development. The agency has ten offices throughout the regions and works closely with local industry, development organisations and the third level sector to pro-actively facilitate an integrated approach to harnessing all of the resources relevant to industrial development in the region.
Shannon Development is the regional development agency with responsibility for the mid-west region. One of Shannon Development's key plans, as outlined in its Corporate Plan 2000-2002, is to focus on "sustaining economic development and achieving dispersal of that development throughout the region". Shannon Development's policy of dispersed development is aimed at spreading development to peripheral locations within its operational area.
