Joe Carey
Ceist:34. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the type of projects eligible for support under the regional enterprise development fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5764/18]
Other Questions
Regional Development Initiatives
I have submitted this question to seek more information about the operation of the regional enterprise development fund, principally to establish how it is operating and, in particular, what types of projects are eligible under the fund.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Enterprise Ireland regional enterprise development fund, REDF, launched in May 2017, is a €60 million competitive fund aimed at supporting significant regional initiatives that will build on sectoral strengths and improve enterprise capability across the regions. The REDF is intended to support the ambition, goals and implementation of the regional action plans for jobs.
REDF funding is being made available over the period 2017 to 2020 under two competitive calls. The first call under the REDF concluded in August last year and in December I announced an allocation of €30.5 million in funding across 21 successful projects from all over the country. Four are in the northern and western region, 11 are in the southern region and six are in the eastern and midlands region. I intend to launch a second competitive call under the fund in March of this year for the remainder of the €60 million. With regard to the type of projects that may be eligible for support, there are four streams under the fund reflecting variations in scale and focus for project applications, as follows. Stream one is to support major regional, multi-regional or national sectoral initiatives with grants of €2 million up to €5 million per project in funding towards capital and current costs. Stream two is to support significant county, regional or multi-regional sectoral and-or enterprise initiatives with grants of €250,000 up to €2 million per project in funding towards capital and current costs. Stream three is for local and community enterprise projects, with grants of €50,000 up to €250,000 per project in funding towards capital and current costs. Stream four is to support significant industry clustering initiatives with grants of €50,000 up to €250,000 per project in funding towards current costs.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
All projects will have to demonstrate and will be evaluated against the following criteria: impacts and value for money, collaboration and participation, viability and sustainability, building regional strengths and significance for innovation and capability building.
In order to ensure a balanced regional spread, Enterprise Ireland has targeted €2 million to be allocated for the best ranked projects across the eight nomenclature of territorial units for statistics, NUTS III, regions which have attained a minimum score of 60% or higher in the evaluation process, over the two calls.
Full details are currently available in the Scheme Document on the Enterprise Ireland website at www.enterprise-ireland.com.
I thank the Minister for her reply. It is interesting that there were 11 successful applicants in the southern region. There were four in the north west and six in the eastern region.
Has the Minister thought about bringing in changes to make the scheme more accessible to applicants? The aviation and aerospace industry is of huge importance to the mid-west region, including where I come from in County Clare, Shannon, Limerick and north Tipperary. In Shannon alone, there are 40 different companies engaged in many different areas of aviation, including leasing, maintenance and aircraft recycling, etc. They employ 1,600 people. Have companies in the Shannon area drawn down this fund?
There were two successful applications in the mid-west region. Emerald Aero Cluster Group was the successful applicant under call one of stream four. Stream four is to support significant industry clustering initiatives with grants of €50,000 to €250,000 per project. Emerald Aero Cluster Group is a cluster of 14 indigenous manufacturing companies brought together with the specific purpose of increasing aerospace manufacturing export revenues for members and aerospace business for the Republic of Ireland. That is hugely important for that industry. The Irish Bioeconomy Foundation was approved for funding under the REDF within stream one. Stream one is to support major regional, multi-regional or national sectoral initiatives and grants of €2 million to €5 million per project in funding towards capital and current costs. The project is located on the former Lisheen mine site which went into a planned close phase in late-2015 with the loss of 200 jobs. They are two very worthwhile projects that have been supported in the area.
Does Deputy Carey wish to make a final comment?
No.
Some applications were not successful. It is a competitive process but there are some who did not receive funding. There are other initiatives and ideas that have yet to come forward for the second tranche of the funding. I encourage applicants to consider coming forward under the second call which I will launch in the springtime. All successful applicants under the first call can receive specific feedback on their submissions from Enterprise Ireland and can identify with Enterprise Ireland where they could alter or improve in order to resubmit for the next call as appropriate. Unsuccessful projects that alter and improve their applications following consultation with Enterprise Ireland's regional team and others may submit a new application. The second call will fund projects from the remaining balance of the €60 million of the budget that is available. Call two is a competitive process and not all applications can be successful. They need to engage with Enterprise Ireland because this is a really good fund that helps bring companies, local authorities and State agencies together. If they work in a collaborative way, it certainly improves their chances of getting funding.
IDA Ireland Supports
Niamh Smyth
Ceist:35. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when the IDA last visited counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of new jobs which have been created by the IDA in the past 12 months; the measures being taken to attract companies to each county; the success it has had with this strategy for each county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6017/18]
I congratulate the Minister on her appointment to a portfolio that is important to the Border area. It is wonderful to see her, as a Border Minister, in the position.
Will the Minister make a statement on the number of new jobs that have been created by IDA Ireland over the past 12 months, the measures being taken to attract companies to each of the counties, Cavan and Monaghan, and the success it has had within the strategy for each county?
I thank the Deputy for her question and for her good wishes. As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and as a Deputy from Cavan-Monaghan, this topic is very close to my heart. Regional development is a key priority of mine and I am focused on increasing investment in every county in Ireland. IDA Ireland shares this objective and I am pleased that its results for 2017 show that half of all jobs created last year were for locations outside Dublin. Every region in Ireland, including the Border region, posted net gains in jobs last year and there are now over 122,000 people employed across 649 firms in IDA Ireland client companies outside of Dublin. I look forward to working closely with the agency and across Government to grow those numbers further in 2018.
More generally, the north-east-north-west regional action plan for jobs is the key policy response for supporting employment growth in the Border region, including in Cavan and Monaghan. Sectors targeted as part of the plan include the region’s traditional strengths such as agrifood, manufacturing and engineering, and tourism, including active promotion of the Lakelands region. The core objective of the plan is to see a further 28,000 people at work in the region by 2020 and to reduce the unemployment rate to within one percentage point of the State average. The efforts by the stakeholders involved in the plan are paying off with 12,000 additional jobs in the Border region since the regional initiative was launched in November 2015. This represents good progress towards the target of 28,000 jobs for the region by 2020. I am also pleased that live register numbers for Counties Cavan and Monaghan have fallen by over 15% in the past 12 months. However, despite this progress, there are some regions that lag behind, particularly in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, FDI, and there is obviously more work to be done in the Border area. In 2017, there were 12 IDA Ireland client companies employing a total of 1,305 people in Cavan and Monaghan. It is a priority for me as Minister and IDA Ireland to grow these numbers in the coming years and the agency has committed to increasing investment in each region in Ireland, including in the Border region, by 30% to 40% by 2019.
Of the 507 visits nationwide in 2017, Cavan and Monaghan had four visits. In 2018, there will be three IDA Ireland visits to the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Dublin had 247 visits. The Minister referred to regional balance and I hope she will aim to correct the current imbalance. There seems to be a disproportionate concentration in non-rural areas and the more urban areas, which confirms a skewed Government policy. With the national planning framework coming down the tracks and Brexit looming, counties like Cavan and Monaghan need to see the disproportionate focus on urban areas refocused on more regional areas and concentrated on areas like Cavan and Monaghan.
IDA Ireland has a dedicated regional manager for the north-east-north-west region and has an office in the Cavan Innovation and Technology Centre. As part of its strategy to encourage investment to the area, the agency is focusing on sectors including agrifood, manufacturing, tourism, internationally traded services and clean tech. IDA Ireland also regularly engages with key stakeholders on the ground in Cavan and Monaghan, including with local authorities, public bodies, the education sector and companies from both its own client base and the indigenous sector. IDA Ireland owns lands in both Cavan and Monaghan that are currently available for investment. I am pleased in this regard that IDA Ireland is finalising a concept master plan for the IDA Ireland business park in Monaghan and is also progressing with a proposed joint initiative with Monaghan County Council regarding possible planning permission for technology units on the park to assist with marketing the location.
It is important to emphasise that FDI only forms one part of investment in regional locations.
The figures are crucial to all of this. I accept it is before the Minister's time, but hopefully with the Minister in the position now, as a Border Minister, she will be able to deliver. The facts are that in 2012 Dublin had a huge number of visits and we had three; in 2013, we had two; in 2014, we had one; in 2015, we had none; and in 2016, we had two. In 2012, Monaghan had no visits; in 2013, it had one; in 2014, it had none; in 2015, it had two; and in 2016, it had two. I ask the Minister to ensure that in 2018 and 2019, the national planning framework increases those numbers. We have two vacant sites. There is one in Cavan and I appreciate the Minister has appointed somebody with responsibility for the region. There is also a vacant site in Monaghan. Since the beginning of my time on Cavan County Council in 2009, there was a constant battle with IDA Ireland to make Cavan and Monaghan places that are exemplary in attracting new businesses.
I ask that the site visits for 2018 and thereafter increase from the abysmal figures I have just mentioned.
I agree with the Deputy about the number of visits to Cavan and Monaghan. I want to support Cavan and Monaghan, but I also want to support the Border region in every way I can. There will certainly be a strong focus on job creation in the region. Last week, I met the CEs of Monaghan, Cavan, Louth and Meath county councils along with senior officials from IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and my Department to establish ways in which we can work collaboratively to attract FDI because we have a lot to offer. I also want to support indigenous industry and look at how the four counties can work together to attract funding through the regional development fund. I have had that meeting and I intend to meet the CEs in the north-west region to see how we can shine a light on the Border region which, I accept, is lagging behind. The Deputy can rest assured that I have been doing everything I can to increase job creation in the area.
IDA Ireland Site Visits
Niall Collins
Ceist:36. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding regional IDA site visits up to the end of 2017 in addition to vacant IDA properties nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6009/18]
My question is on the same theme as Deputy Smyth's. I ask the Minister to address the glaring anomaly over which IDA Ireland and by extension the Minister are presiding, with the imbalance in IDA Ireland's site visits to Dublin compared with those outside Dublin. It is simply not acceptable and feeds into the two-tier recovery the country is experiencing.
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. IDA Ireland is leading our efforts to attract even more foreign direct investment to regional areas. The agency continues to work towards key development targets set out in its 2015-19 strategy, including increasing investment by 30% to 40% in every region. Since the launch of that strategy, half of all jobs created by its client companies have been based outside Dublin. To quantify the extent of this impressive result, it means that just under 30,000 jobs have been created in the regions in three years. Moreover, the agency's 2017 results showed that every region posted net gains in jobs last year. This shows that real progress is being made towards increasing the regional spread of FDI throughout the country.
Site visits represent an important tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas and IDA Ireland always does its utmost to ensure that investors consider all potential locations when visiting Ireland. Ensuring that there are properties available for potential multinational investors is a key component of that approach. If there were no available properties in the regions, IDA Ireland-owned or otherwise, it would significantly diminish the agency’s capacity to attract and win new investments there. Overseas firms need to know that there are suitable sites and facilities in an area before they make a decision to invest.
I stress that the portfolio of properties held by IDA Ireland depends on the level of demand from investor companies and that the agency also helps to provide property solutions for Enterprise Ireland clients whenever possible. The objective is always to ensure that companies - small or large, indigenous or multinational - are connected with the right property in the right location so that the business concerned can thrive and jobs can be created.
In that context, we should not lose sight of the fact that FDI only forms one part of investment in regional locations. Indigenous enterprise also helps to drive employment growth across Ireland. All Departments and the State’s enterprise agencies work together constantly to help foster and support Irish companies wherever they can.
IDA Ireland has a property portfolio so that it can readily help potential job-creators find a suitable place in which to do business. The availability of these properties is key to our ongoing efforts to attract more firms to this country. The underlying objective though is always to match companies with these sites and properties so jobs and economic opportunities can be created.
As the Minister knows, last night we debated a motion on broadband. The shambles of the broadband roll-out is impacting on balanced regional development and the location of business. It is feeding into a wider concern about the unravelling of services in rural areas. IDA Ireland is also complicit with those in government in this agenda which is seen as an attack on rural Ireland. In 2017, there were 682 site visits, 47% of which were in Dublin. Almost 80% of all site visits were to Dublin, Galway, Limerick or Cork.
At the other end of the scale is the Minister's constituency, as outlined by Deputy Smyth, where there was one visit in Monaghan and two in Cavan. Donegal had two; Laois had four; Leitrim had five; Longford had seven; Mayo had seven; Monaghan had one; Roscommon had three; Wexford had three; Wicklow had two; and Cavan had two. I am becoming worn out from raising the issue. We are banging our heads against the wall here.
I thank the Deputy.
Why can IDA Ireland not engage in a real and meaningful agenda and campaign to bring these companies when they come to Ireland-----
I thank the Deputy.
-----to locations outside the main population centres and sell these locations-----
Okay-----
-----because with the national planning framework-----
The Deputy had his one minute.
-----coming down the line, there is a huge campaign developing in opposition to that strategy which will again impact negatively on rural Ireland?
I thank the Deputy. I call the Minister.
The Minister needs to use every-----
Deputy, please-----
-----avenue at her disposal to ensure IDA Ireland departs from its current strategy.
IDA Ireland cannot direct companies to go to a particular place. It competes in a very competitive global market. To get some of those companies to come to Ireland is quite an achievement. IDA Ireland is focused on the regions and is doing its utmost to increase regional investment. The goal is to increase investment in every region by 2019 by 30% to 40%.
For example, Northern Trust was expanding its operations in Limerick last year, creating 500 new jobs. Many new investments are from existing IDA Ireland clients. It is not all about site visits. It is about supporting existing clients to increase employment. That is the case as it stands. It is doing everything. I am from a rural area and will focus on the regions.
IDA Ireland is offering the excuse that it cannot go into the boardrooms of potential investors in this country and direct them to come to a specific location. It picks up the representatives of the company when they come to Ireland and brings them to their stated preferred location. IDA Ireland needs to do better. While it can bring them to their preferred stated location, it should offer them alternative site visits in the counties I have named which are receiving very few site visits. It is not rocket science. At this stage we are all worn out from the excuse that IDA Ireland cannot direct where companies locate in Ireland. It must do better and the Minister should instruct it to do better.
Most of the companies seeking to locate in this country carry out their own assessments first. That is why sometimes people may be talking down regions, which is not a good idea because that negativity can influence companies' decisions. IDA Ireland is committed to the regions. It has informed me that it is doing everything it can to increase investment across the regions. The Deputy can rest assured that I will ensure the regions receive the attention and particularly those which have lagged behind. The Border region is one that has lagged behind as have parts of the midlands. The south east and the south west have done particularly well, which is partly down to the collaborative way the people in those areas have presented the benefits of doing business. There are also many clusters there. Where there is business, it brings business. We need to work more collaboratively in the areas that have not got investment. I will certainly be focusing on them.
Workplace Relations Commission
Paul Murphy
Ceist:37. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will direct the Workplace Relations Commission to devote more resources to carrying out inspections on fishing vessels (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6016/18]
Mick Barry
Ceist:39. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if inspectors at the Workplace Relations Commission have the training they need to carry out inspections on fishing vessels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2054/18]
Do the WRC inspectors have the training they need to carry out inspections on fishing vessels? I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 39 together.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I am addressing on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Breen, who is out of the country. Lead policy responsibility for the fishing sector rests with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. While the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, are under the remit of my Department, they are independent in the conduct of their statutory functions. The WRC's responsibilities relate to the enforcement of the Employment Permits Acts and employment rights legislation generally, including minimum wage legislation.
By the end of 2017, 95% of the target fleet had been inspected. The HSA is the enforcement agency under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and conducts inspections under health and safety regulations at all places of work, including fishing vessels while docked in harbour. It does not carry out inspections of fishing vessels at sea even when operating in Irish territorial waters.
The Marine Survey Office, under the aegis of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, has lead responsibility for fishing vessel safety, security and living and working conditions for the crew on board seagoing vessels. It is responsible for enforcing legislation in this context for seafarers and fishing vessel crew.
Regarding the recent unfortunate accident involving a non-EEA national on a fishing vessel, it is my understanding that the HSA is conducting an investigation into the circumstances in line with its remit under workplace health and safety legislation.
On the separate issue raised by the Deputy of adequate training for WRC inspectors to carry out inspections on fishing vessels, nine inspectors as well as a regional manager of the WRC completed comprehensive training in this regard. It was delivered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara on safety at sea and sea survival techniques, including firefighting and first aid. This training was a prerequisite for the deployment of WRC inspectors to onboard inspections and operations at ports and landing places because the WRC, like the HSA, does not undertake inspections at sea.
If the Minister will excuse a poor pun, there seems to be something a little bit fishy here. Nine WRC inspectors have received training, but the following are facts. One organiser with the International Transport Workers Federation, ITF, which is a trade union-based organisation that has one organiser, has detected 202 contraventions in the wake of the scandal unearthed by The Guardian about the treatment of non-EU migrant fishers, yet nine WRC inspectors have only issued 112 contravention notices between them. That is only slightly more than half. These figures do not add up. Something is wrong, and the Minister might be able to locate for me in her reply what the problem might be.
Of the fleet, 95% - 165 vessels - has been inspected. This entailed 239 inspections. There are 181 whitefish vessels of over 15 m in length, but only 174 of these are operational. On this basis, 95% of the target fleet had been inspected by the end of 2017. The objective of WRC inspections is to determine compliance with a range of employment rights, entitlements and obligations, including those relating to minimum wage rates, the payment of wages, employment records and terms of employment, as well as to work with employers in order to address compliance issues, including the payment of unpaid wages arising from contraventions. The enforcement of hours of work and rest requirements in the fishing industry is undertaken by authorised officers of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. WRC inspectors enforce the Employment Permits Acts and, in the fishing industry, the atypical working permission scheme, which regulates and controls the employment of non-EEA nationals within the State.
The Minister made my argument for me. I do not know whether she is aware that the majority of the 95% of inspections-----
(Interruptions).
-----were carried out - if I could have a bit of quiet on my left - on foot of abuses reported by the ITF, as opposed to WRC inspectors. Unlike in other jurisdictions, however, union people have been frozen out of the follow-up process. The record of the WRC inspectorate in bringing successful prosecutions has been poor. There has only been one successful prosecution in an industry where, as the world and its wife know, abuses are rife. The €6,300 in unpaid wages that has been recouped for workers cheated out of their pay is a tiny fraction of the reality.
In July, the WRC told the Oireachtas joint committee that it was reducing the numbers devoted to the fishing industry. Has that happened? Given the scale of the instances mentioned, does the Minister see the case for a dedicated and trained inspectorate, not just for fishing, but for all maritime cases that arise?
To reiterate, 95% of the fleet has been inspected and good work has been done. The WRC acts independently of my office. There are processes for employees to report situations to the WRC, which will be followed up on and checked.
Brexit Issues
Charlie McConalogue
Ceist:38. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to minimise the impact of Brexit in County Donegal; the engagement she has had with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to ensure they secure new investment in the county in view of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5761/18]
Coming from a Border county, the Minister knows the potential difficulty that Brexit poses for employment and the economy in Border counties if it does not work out well. That is even more so the case in County Donegal, which is probably the most exposed region of Europe to Brexit and therefore needs every prioritisation from the Government in order to address that situation.
We might get through two further questions if we stick within the time limits.
I thank Deputy McConalogue for raising this issue. He is right, in that I am conscious of the challenges that Brexit will present in the Border region. I appreciate the importance of ensuring that Irish businesses, including those located in Donegal, are best able to withstand the pressures that Brexit may exert. That is why additional financial resources have been secured to support the strategic response to Brexit by our enterprise agencies, including IDA Ireland.
Brexit, or more particularly the response to the challenges that it presents, is a key factor in shaping IDA Ireland's strategy and operations. This includes the agency's approach to regional development, finance, planning, marketing and promotional activities. The IDA has established a specific Brexit committee to oversee its response to the opportunities and challenges arising from the UK's exit from the EU. The agency also has a clear Brexit plan, including one-to-one investor engagements and public relations and media campaigns.
I am conscious of the particular trade implications that Brexit may have for Border counties such as Donegal, where 12 IDA client companies employing 3,389 people are based. I am pleased that the level of employment by multinationals in the county has increased by 52% since 2012. Enterprise Ireland has also grown its jobs numbers in the county, with 3,552 people now employed in client companies of Enterprise Ireland in Donegal, up from 3,420 last year. Enterprise Ireland and the IDA maintain constant engagement with their clients in Donegal to encourage them to grow jobs and investments there even further. The local enterprise offices and InterTradeIreland are also working hard to mitigate against the impacts of Brexit.
More broadly, the north east-north west Action Plan for Jobs is the key policy response for supporting employment growth in the Border region, including Donegal.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
I am pleased that good progress is being made under the plan, with 12,000 more people in work in the region since its launch in early 2015.
Key to supporting the regional action plans is Enterprise Ireland's €60 million regional enterprise development fund, which provides financial support for regional projects. Last December, I announced the results of the first call under this fund, with 21 projects across all regions receiving a total of €30.5 million. The second call will be announced in March. Three projects in the Border region secured funding under the first call, including a digital innovation hub in Donegal.
The implications of the Brexit vote and the challenges and opportunities that the decision poses for all Irish regions, including the Border, continue to be considered by all regional Action Plan for Jobs implementation committees and are a focus of all the enterprise agencies under my Department's remit.
I thank the Minister for her response. That there are more than 3,000 IDA client company jobs in Letterkenny shows what a good place Donegal can be in which to do business.
It is a phenomenal number of jobs in IDA-supported companies, and those companies have been growing in recent years. They include SITA, Pramerica, Optum and Kirchoff, to name a small number of those which are continuing to employ many people. In many cases they are increasing employment numbers.
The problem has been with new client companies coming to the area. Those that come can prosper but the Minister must ensure that through work with IDA Ireland and agencies, we can see new client companies come in that can build and grow into the future. Until the end of last year, there were only two new client visits to the county from a total of over 600 nationally. That is simply not good enough and the Minister must address it. Will the Minister take action to engage with IDA Ireland to try to ensure this can be improved drastically?
It is important to remember that site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential. At least 70% of all new foreign direct investment comes from existing IDA Ireland client companies. Donegal is now home to 12 IDA Ireland companies, employing 3,389 people. If one comes from Cavan and Monaghan, like Deputy Brendan Smith and me, one would be very envious. The figure for employment is a 52% increase since 2012. Recent investments announced from IDA Ireland companies based in Donegal included the opening of a new SITA premises in Letterkenny; Optibelt Urethane Belting Limited moving to a new premises in Letterkenny, with associated capital investment of €7.7 million over five years; and the expansion of Pramerica, with the creation of 330 new jobs. As the Deputy states, two site visits took place in Donegal. IDA Ireland continues to do its utmost to encourage clients to locate in areas most in need of investment. I am very conscious that the Border region is lagging behind other regions. I will certainly work closely with IDA Ireland to ensure a focus on the Border region, which will see the most impact from Brexit. I am very conscious of that.
The Minister is correct as SITA, Optibelt and Pramerica all have fine new premises. They are growing the work force and have tremendous workers and executives, driving those companies forward with the assistance of IDA Ireland. The Minister correctly points out that 70% of additional workers and employment comes from existing companies. Those companies would not be in Donegal if they had not come a number of years ago. They are doing very well and it shows they can thrive. Letterkenny is a great town and Donegal is a great place to work. We also need to see throughput and a new pipeline of companies but that is simply not happening. It is where the Government is falling down. If we want to see new companies growing into the future, they must come in the first place and there must be site visits. That is not happening and as I said two from 682 site visits last year went to Donegal. Of the total, 80% of visits went to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. We need to see this addressed and I ask the Minister to ensure there is prioritisation, particularly in light of Brexit, in attracting new companies as well as supporting those who are there already.
I said earlier that many companies looking at Ireland for potential investment do much of the research themselves. They have looked at the different areas and they want to see what suits them best. I assure the Deputy that IDA Ireland is doing everything it can to get investors into the regions. It has a target of between 30% and 40% of all investment being in the regions.
I am very conscious of the Border region, as I mentioned. I recently met with personnel dealing with Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath, in the north-east region of our regional action plan. I intend to meet personnel from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim in the coming weeks to see how we can work together. Officials from my Department, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland attended the meeting and I intend to do the same with the upcoming meeting very shortly.
Question No. 39 answered with Question No. 37.
Waste Disposal
John Curran
Ceist:40. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has reported on the operation of the household waste collection market; her plans to publish this report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5845/18]
The Minister is aware that last year the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, introduced a new pricing and charging regime for waste collection. Effectively, it was to phase out flat-rate charges and encourage greater recycling. I understand that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has since conducted a study on the waste collection market. Will the Minister give an overview of the study and assure the House that there is effective competition in that market?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Policy responsibility for the waste sector lies with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. On 4 July 2017, a motion was passed by Dáil Éireann that called on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to ask the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, to report on the operation of the household waste collection market. Following a formal request on 25 September from the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, the then Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, in accordance with section 10(4) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014, requested the CCPC to carry out a study on the operation of the household waste collection market. The study will assess the household waste collection market and make recommendations, as appropriate. It will assess the nature and scale of consumer and operator issues in the household waste collection market and consider if the introduction of an enhanced regulatory regime could efficiently address these issues in the short and long term. It will include the following elements: research on current issues in the waste sector, an economic assessment of the household waste collection market and an overview of waste collection in other countries. I understand this exercise is still under way and it is anticipated that the report will be finalised over the coming months. The issue of publication will be considered at that stage.
I do not mean to be disrespectful to the Minister by saying she did not tell me anything I really did not know. It is like a history lesson. I am well aware that the request came in September. In a previous reply from the Minister, Deputy Naughten, he indicated that the report from the commission would be available in early 2018. This does very little to alleviate concerns that people have about proper competition in the market. With the change in the pricing regime, there is no easy clarity for consumers as different companies charge different rates. It might be so much per kilo, a flat rate and so much per kilo or a flat rate with top-ups and so forth. There is no transparent pricing regime operated by all companies. It is the reason we are asking for this to be done in a timely fashion. This debate started before the summer of last year. The request to the commission to conduct the study only came about in September but it should be fast-tracked and made available as quickly as possible.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is the statutory independent body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and European Union competition law in the State. Section 9(5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act provides that the CCPC is independent in the performance of its functions. As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have no direct function in such matters. It is doing its work.
It carried out a number of public consultations and it has conducted desk-based research. It has requested information from domestic operators, commissioned consumer research and engaged with other national competition agencies on how waste markets operate in those jurisdictions. I understand the CCPC will issue a public consultation shortly to collect information on the household waste collection market and gather the views of stakeholders. It is working very hard on the matter. I will raise the Deputy's concerns with the commission.
I would appreciate it if the Minister could relay to the commission our concerns that this should be done in a timely manner. There is no obvious competition in the market and prices are not transparent. I live in a Dublin suburb and I can see competition in providing broadband, estate agent services and energy suppliers. Nobody is knocking on my door asking me if I want to change my waste collection company. It is simply not happening. The anecdotal evidence is in abundance that there is not significant competition in this market.
Before the commission can finish its full report, I believe an interim report, particularly on the Dublin market, would be very useful at this stage.
I agree with the Deputy that competition is good for business and the consumer. The authority is an independent body under my remit, and I will certainly raise his concerns with it.
We have time to take one more question if the Deputy forgoes his right to introduce it and I will allow him one supplementary question.
Brexit Issues
Maurice Quinlivan
Ceist:41. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of businesses that have taken up Brexit business supports such as the be prepared grants and Brexit readiness vouchers provided by Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland; and if she is satisfied that the level of business preparedness for Brexit is sufficient. [5955/18]
My Department has had extensive engagement with businesses to understand what they need to help them adapt to the challenges posed by Brexit, and to provide support for diversification, development and innovation.
My Department is putting in place a package of measures that will allow us to respond to the needs of businesses including a Brexit loan scheme to provide affordable financing to Irish firms impacted by Brexit - the scheme aims to make up to €300 million available to businesses with less than 500 employees at a proposed interest rate of approximately 4%; and developing proposals for a longer-term loan scheme together with a new business advisory hub service which would focus on business development to allow enterprises to position themselves for a post-Brexit environment. In addition, the EU Commission has approved a rescue and restructuring scheme and the scheme can be drawn on in exceptional circumstances for a company severely affected by Brexit. The Action Plan for Jobs will continue to act as an effective lever for driving reforms that enhance the competitiveness of Irish firms, increase jobs and grow the resilience of our economy in the context of Brexit.
I accept that there are time constraints but perhaps the Minister will come back to me with a fuller response. The question is about our preparedness for Brexit. The Minister can revert to me on the number of be prepared grants and Brexit readiness vouchers that have been given. How many Brexit scorecards have been filled out to date by companies and is the Minister satisfied that the uptake is sufficient? Does the Department, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, ITI, have sufficient staff and is funding now in place for each of those bodies?
Additional resources have been provided to Enterprise Ireland and ITI to deal with Brexit. There are many supports available, especially through Enterprise Ireland. I encourage companies to engage with Enterprise Ireland and their local enterprise offices. Workshops are taking place across the country and there is a huge awareness campaign on the challenges facing companies due to Brexit. I ask companies to identify the risks that Brexit will present for them and to mitigate those risks.