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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 24 May 2018

Vol. 969 No. 6

Other Questions

Health and Safety

Martin Kenny

Ceist:

6. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to instruct the Health and Safety Authority to conduct a safety audit of the State’s livestock marts in view of the considerable risk to personal safety posed by conditions at many of them. [18213/18]

Regarding livestock marts, in County Leitrim we have five such marts and an incident at one of them a few months ago, where a man was seriously injured, rang alarm bells for me. While the marts are very well managed and run, they are very dangerous places with many very stressed cattle and many people who are anxious to look at those cattle and who often put themselves in a dangerous position in order to do so. Marts can also be a very dangerous environment for workers. In that context, I ask that the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, conduct a survey of our livestock marts and determine what needs to be done to make them safer so that people can enjoy their time there, which is what many patrons are doing, rather than buying or selling animals. This is an issue that deserves some attention.

I thank Deputy Kenny for his question. As someone with an agricultural background, I am very conscious of health and safety and the issues which may arise at marts. The Health and Safety Authority, HSA, is responsible for the enforcement of the relevant statutory provisions set out in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and associated regulations related to workplace health and safety, including the promotion of health and safety in the workplace. The authority works to a detailed annual programme of work and carries out inspections across all sectors of employment, based on the level of risk associated with different sectors, in addition to carrying out inspections on foot of specific complaints received. The inspection of livestock marts is part of the authority's 2018 work programme.

The Health and Safety Authority is an independent statutory body and the inspection of workplaces is a day-to-day operational matter for the authority in which I have no role. The agriculture sector has a higher than average fatal and non-fatal injury rate and the authority devotes a relatively high level of its resources to agricultural safety initiatives, including inspections. Livestock safety is a major issue in agriculture, being consistently the third most common cause of farm fatalities and the most prevalent cause of non-fatal injury. Livestock marts pose a unique set of health and safety risks as there are large numbers of animals present in unfamiliar surroundings. In the first instance, therefore, the owners and managers of marts must ensure that a full risk assessment has been carried out and that there is a safe system of work in place. A safe system of work is a legal requirement and mart owners have a legal responsibility to ensure that mart facilities do not create hazards or risks. Any such potential hazards or risks should be recorded in a safety statement which sets out how such hazards and risks are to be eliminated or reduced.

In terms of best practice, the HSA recommends a total segregation of mart workers, farmers and other members of the public from livestock penning arrangements. In addition, the authority has produced a detailed document entitled "Guidance on the Safe Handling of Livestock at Marks and Lairages", which has been distributed to all operating marts around the country. I ask all mart owners and managers to take account of their legal responsibilities and to take the practical advice and guidance offered by the HSA.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I also raise this issue in the context of insurance problems, an issue which is very live at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform at the moment. There have been huge increases in insurance premiums for marts which is not unrelated to health and safety issues. We need to find a solution in a collaborative way. The HSA should work with the mart owners and managers to find a solution. In many cases, problems arise when the animals are penned and waiting to enter the ring. For many elderly people, a visit to the mart is a social occasion during which they meet their friends and neighbours. Many young people also frequent the marts. Most Members of this House would not be at a mart unless an election was imminent. In those circumstances, we might think of the safety of Members of this House who might get themselves into a difficult position with animals waiting to go into the ring. We must understand that the mart is a place where people come together and communicate but it can be a very dangerous place. We must find a solution that works for everyone and the HSA should be central to that. I am not suggesting that the authority should be heavy handed or cause stress for those running the marts. I am talking about finding common-sense solutions, one of which is ensuring that when animals are in the pen waiting to go into the ring that nobody other than the employees of the mart are allowed into that area. Simple things like that can solve the problem.

Deputy Kenny spoke about common-sense solutions but people must use common sense themselves and recognise the dangers of mixing with animals. Many of the more modern marts have overhead bridges so that people can inspect animals from above. Under no circumstances should members of the public be in the passages between the pens or the pens themselves because cattle at marts are in unfamiliar surroundings and their behaviour can be unpredictable.

I point out again that mart owners and managers have statutory obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. They have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees and of the general public. Most marts and co-operatives are very conscious of safety around animals. The public should be in the auction rooms rather than outside where the animals are penned. The pens should be reserved for employees only. Marts are dangerous places, particularly in the morning when cattle are being off loaded from trailers into the pens.

I understand all the dangers in this area. The Minister of State made reference to guidelines issued by the HSA but the authority needs to sit down with all of the mart owners to work out a solution. That solution must then be clearly communicated to farmers, employees and patrons of the marts. Safety must be to the fore. I want to send my best wishes to the man who was hurt recently in the mart in Mohill. He is one of many people who have been injured at marts. We all know people who have suffered broken legs, crushed feet and other injuries at marts all over the country. We need to move away from that situation. Some of the solutions to improve safety may require investment in the marts and perhaps the State can be of assistance in that regard.

I also sympathise with the individual concerned. Deputy Kenny is correct to point out that we often do not hear of the injuries incurred by farmers at marts. It is only when people are killed or suffer life-changing injuries that we hear about it. As I said already, mixing with animals is the third most common cause of accidents in the country. I will pass on the Deputy's concerns to the HSA but it is important that people do not forget their own obligations. I would ask all mart owners and managers to take account of their legal responsibilities and to take on board the practical advice and guidance of the authority.

Some marts have screens in their restaurants on which they show safety videos encouraging patrons to be conscious of safety in the context of handling or passing cattle. The animals are in unfamiliar surroundings, are easily frightened and often cannot see properly when they are going through from the pens to the ring.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter which I will bring to the attention of the HSA. The authority carries out inspections and has other ways of encouraging all involved to be more conscious of health and safety.

IDA Ireland Data

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

7. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the status of regional IDA site visits and vacant IDA properties nationwide in Q1, 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22862/18]

I ask the Minister of State to outline the status of regional IDA Ireland site visits and to detail vacant IDA Ireland properties nationwide. The first quarter statistics for 2018 on the number of IDA Ireland site visits across the country are quite alarming in that there are significant disparities between Dublin and the regions. I ask the Minister of State to elaborate on that and explain why some counties are being consistently ignored in the context of IDA Ireland site visits.

Creating more jobs in the regions is a priority for IDA Ireland and my Department. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I will focus on doing everything we can in the fairest possible way to spread the investment across the country. The Government is working to ensure a more even distribution of foreign direct investment across the country. Last year, IDA Ireland delivered 99 regional investments, with 45% of new jobs created outside Dublin. The last three years have seen 30,000 new foreign direct investment jobs created outside Dublin. The availability of marketable serviced land and buildings in advance of demand is an important element of IDA Ireland's ability to compete for mobile foreign direct investment. Such a supply of properties helps the agency to secure job-rich investment and allows projects to begin at an earlier date by diminishing many of the difficulties associated with land acquisition, planning and construction. It is important because it enables IDA Ireland to encourage and attract new investors to Ireland, particularly to the regions.

I am informed that IDA Ireland owns 30 properties across the country, 13 of which are occupied by its clients with the other 17 being available for prospective or existing investors. IDA Ireland's regional property programme remains an important tool for encouraging investors to locate in areas outside Dublin. This programme is targeted at ensuring an adequate supply of marketable serviced land, offices and industrial and manufacturing buildings is readily available in advance of demand from existing and potential client companies. The programme includes the construction of nine new advance facilities around the country. Buildings have been completed in Castlebar, Tralee and Sligo as part of this programme. IDA Ireland is continuing to roll out its building programme across the country, with new buildings planned in Carlow, Dundalk, Limerick, Galway, Athlone and Waterford over the next two years. I am confident that the regional property programme, which has already helped to generate employment in the regions, will help to secure further investment in the years ahead.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Site visits represent a valuable tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas. IDA Ireland always does its utmost to ensure overseas firms consider all potential locations when visiting Ireland. This is in line with the priority that has been placed on investment outside our main cities. The agency is continuing to target an increase of 30% to 40% in foreign direct investment in every region of the country by the end of its current strategy in 2019. While site visits can help to highlight the benefits of the regions to IDA Ireland's client companies, we need to remember that the final decision on where to invest always rests with the firm concerned. Some companies are only intent on investing in urban areas for a variety of commercial reasons. It should not be forgotten 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. There were 66 site visits across Ireland, excluding Dublin, in the first three months of 2018. IDA Ireland will continue to bring new and existing clients to potential investment locations all over the country.

The site visit statistics are symptomatic of the greater problem of regional imbalance. We accept there have been increases in employment across the country and a major increase in inward investment through companies supported by IDA Ireland. Given that 51% of site visits between 2012 and 2017 were in Dublin, which sends a worrying signal to the regions, and in light of the investment platforms for the coming years that have been outlined in the national planning framework, I suggest that the Government's approach to policy development is centred on Dublin. I am genuinely concerned that this will undermine the capacity of the regions to develop their own micro-economies. When this alarming situation is coupled with other Government policies - such as the lack of broadband roll-out, which is having an impact on small and medium-sized enterprises - it is clear that IDA Ireland's policy of having over 50% of site visits in Dublin, with the other visits being spread across the rest of the country, is not good enough.

I do not agree with the Deputy. I remind him that 45% of the net 10,000 jobs created by IDA Ireland last year were outside the greater Dublin region.

That is my point.

This issue is not all about site visits. While site visits are important, it is also important to nurture the existing companies in this country. I advise the Deputy to look at the number of jobs that have been created by IDA Ireland. I commend the work the agency has done in this area. At least 70% of all new jobs come from existing foreign direct investment companies in this country that want to expand their global reach and change their systems of production. That is extremely important. I see this for myself as I travel around the country. Many new job announcements involve existing companies. It is important that IDA Ireland sites are available around the country to offer a choice to foreign direct investment companies that are looking to locate here. It is ultimately a matter for each company to decide where it wants to locate. The availability of sites is important. It is important for us to have advance companies as well. That is the reason for IDA Ireland's building programme. Thirteen of IDA Ireland's 30 properties around the country are occupied and the other 17 are available.

The Minister of State has told us that 4,500 of the net 10,000 jobs created by IDA Ireland last year were outside Dublin, which means that 5,500 jobs were created in Dublin. The reality is that 55% of the net job creation was in Dublin and 45% of it was in the rest of the country, which rather proves my point. The Government's site visits policy is also relevant in this context. It is simply not good enough that ten counties, including Cavan, Donegal, Kerry, Kilkenny, Longford, Monaghan and Wexford, were not visited in the first quarter of 2018. Having served in this Department previously, I am aware that IDA Ireland cannot direct a company to locate in a specific location. Companies tend to look at Ireland strategically when they are deciding where to locate. The Government can encourage and cajole companies to consider certain areas by showing a strong commitment to regional policy. IDA Ireland can also be cajoled to encourage companies to locate in the regions. This was done previously and it can be done again. More importantly, it must be done again if we are to ensure the regions do not continue to fall further behind Dublin.

As I have said, the figures for the first quarter of the year can be misleading. I suggest a 12-month period should be studied to get a better picture in respect of site visits. There were ten site visits to the Deputy's home county of Cork in the first three or four months of this year. Site visits take place all year round. It is not the case that there is a certain number of visits each month. There can be extra site visits during the summer and more later on in the year. It is extremely important for IDA Ireland to have greenfield sites as a viable tool for attracting new industry into the regions. The reality, fair and straight, is that the regions are faring well. As the Deputy knows, foreign direct investment, which has been mentioned, tends to go into clusters. It is important that we have indigenous industry to back that up as well. Enterprise Ireland's results for last year show that 65% of the net 10,000 jobs it created were located outside the greater Dublin area. I remind the House that the local enterprise offices created almost net 3,700 jobs throughout the country last year. Our intention is to ensure every region, county and community feels the effect of the recovery when jobs are being created.

I ask the Minister of State to conclude because Deputy Michael Moynihan is waiting for us to take Question No. 8.

He has not been waiting as long as I have.

Others have been waiting. Although it is a bit late now, I ask the Minister of State to abide by the time constraints, as we all must do.

Foreign Direct Investment

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

8. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she is taking to bring foreign direct investment to vacant IDA Ireland properties (details supplied) in County Cork; and the number of site visits to these properties by prospective clients in 2017 and 2018. [22620/18]

What is being done to bring foreign direct investment to a number of vacant IDA Ireland properties in County Cork? The Minister of State has mentioned that there have been ten visits to sites in County Cork so far this year. I wonder whether any of them were in Duhallow, Charleville or Kanturk. What is being done by IDA Ireland and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to sell these sites and attract industry to them?

Site visits represent a useful tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in areas such as County Cork. IDA Ireland always does its utmost to ensure overseas firms consider all potential locations when visiting Ireland. It is important to remember that the final decision on where to invest always rests with the company concerned. I remind the Deputy that site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential. As I told Deputy Kelleher earlier, at least 70% of all new foreign direct investment comes from existing IDA Ireland client companies. The employment situation in the south-west region, which covers counties Cork and Kerry, has been steadily improving in recent years. The south-west regional action plan for jobs, which was launched in July 2015, has been a key factor in this improvement. The plan placed a heavy focus on employment growth in key sectors such as life sciences, manufacturing and information and communications technology. Last year, IDA Ireland client companies created 2,388 gross new jobs in the south west, bringing total employment in overseas companies in the region to 35,248 people across 158 client companies.

IDA Ireland will continue to work with its clients to identify opportunities for new investment or expansion in County Cork. In doing so, it will draw the attention of investors to the county's particular strengths. These include but are not limited to its accessibility, including its ports and its airport, its existing cluster of medical technology and pharmaceutical firms and its strong track record as a home to overseas companies for many years. IDA Ireland is seeking to attract new firms to Cork while working closely with its existing clients there to help to strengthen and potentially grow their respective workforces. Regarding the specific locations mentioned by Deputy Moynihan, as data on IDA Ireland site visits are collated on a county-by-county basis, information on the number of site visits to specific locations in individual counties is not available. IDA Ireland does not release details of the specific itineraries of potential investors on grounds of client confidentiality and commercial sensitivity.

I can inform the Deputy, however, that a total of 51 site visits took place in Cork in 2017 and a further ten site visits have been undertaken in the first three months of 2018.

If IDA Ireland had visited any of the sites in Kanturk, Charleville or Millstreet, the Minister of State would have been able to answer the question I asked. The Minister of State is hiding behind IDA Ireland. I have no wish to interfere with commercial sensitivity. Are the Department and IDA Ireland looking at land banks held in Kanturk, Charleville and Millstreet with a view to promoting those sites for industrial development? There is a highly-educated young workforce throughout Duhallow and the north Cork region. They are as capable, and probably more capable, than any of the communities throughout the country.

The Minister of State has used the opt-out clause of saying IDA Ireland does not release individual site locations because of commercial sensitivity. That is balderdash, to be honest. If IDA Ireland had information that it could have furnished to the Department in the past three or four days indicating that there had been a visit, then that information would have been on the record of the Dáil today. I am challenging the Minister of State to go back to IDA Ireland and ask specifically when IDA Ireland last did that. Was it back when we were trying to sell these sites in Kanturk or when the advanced factory was set up in Charleville and so on? When last was there any serious discussion between IDA Ireland and the Department on these sites and how best to attract industry to these fantastic locations?

IDA Ireland is working hard to ensure that all these regions and sites are available for clients and potential clients. It is important to have the sites available. These are feasible tools to attract companies. In the end, however, it is up to the investors to decide where to put investment in the country.

IDA Ireland is operating in a very competitive environment at the moment. That is why IDA Ireland must compete by region rather than by town, village or small city. IDA Ireland is up against other major cities, for example, Birmingham and Manchester, in the UK where millions of people live in one location. IDA Ireland competes by region. The agency must ensure the multinational companies are connected to the right location for the company. That is important also.

IDA Ireland does not have the final decision in these matters. The companies that potentially wish to set up here have property people who look at the places where they want to invest. We can bring the investors to the locations but in the end it is up to them to decide. Many factors influence where they decide to locate.

In the site in Charleville, a business expansion scheme was developed 15 years ago or more. That spawned more industry around it. IDA Ireland had encouraged us some years ago and indicated that it was in negotiation with Cork County Council to hand over the sites to enable industrial units to be developed, yet, to date, nothing has happened.

The Minister of State was throwing out the question of Birmingham and other cities. I challenge the Minister of State in this regard because Duhallow and the north Cork region have as much to offer as any of those places. The area has a fantastic young educated workforce. Unfortunately, we are exporting that workforce to Dublin and other cities. The Minister of State will know the line about the east coast tipping over into the Irish Sea. We have to be serious about balanced regional development. I call on the Minister of State to look seriously at these locations. They may be in IDA Ireland ownership, but are they on the IDA Ireland radar? When last was there a discussion on these properties? When last was there a discussion on how best to utilise these properties for the benefit of the State, IDA Ireland, the companies coming in and the region that supports them?

Every IDA Ireland site is on the radar. Let us consider the positives as well. Charleville is a fantastic dairy hub, especially with the work the Kerry Group is doing there. They make cheese strings there. There is an engineering hub nearby also. Millstreet has Alps Electric and Ballydesmond has Munster Joinery. Some really good companies are based there. Deputy Moynihan is right that north Cork has a great deal to offer but many good companies are there as well.

Like any other county that has a big city nearby, there is a magnet to attract companies into the big city of Cork. People want to work there and the talent is there because of the volume of big multinational companies. Apple has almost 6,000 people. People are going to travel a short distance and there is nothing we can do about that. People can choose the places where they can get good jobs. I understand the attraction of the towns mentioned by Deputy Moynihan. They are and will continue to be on the IDA Ireland radar. However, Deputy Moynihan should also acknowledge the good jobs that are in those towns at present. We need to ensure that we sustain those jobs and employment in the future.

Question No. 9 replied to with Written Answers.

IDA Ireland Portfolio

Eamon Scanlon

Ceist:

10. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation to outline the status of progress on IDA Ireland advanced factory units being constructed in counties Sligo and Leitrim. [22878/18]

Eamon Scanlon

Ceist:

42. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation to outline the status of the vacant IDA Ireland property located at Oakfield, County Sligo. [22879/18]

Permission has been given to Deputy Billy Kelleher to take Question No. 10 in the name of Deputy Scanlon.

Deputy Scanlon sends his apologies but he feels strongly about this issue, as do many Deputies. The question relates to regional imbalance. Will the Minister indicate the status report on IDA Ireland advanced factory units being constructed in counties Sligo and Leitrim?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 42 together. I thank Deputy Kelleher and I acknowledge that I am answering the question for Deputy Scanlon.

In 2017, IDA Ireland completed an advanced technology building in Sligo as part of its regional property programme. Abbot subsequently took ownership of that facility, thereby deepening its existing investment in the county further.

The Deputies asked about the IDA Ireland-owned lands at Oakfield, Sligo. I know the area because I have visited it. IDA Ireland is in partnership with Sligo County Council on the delivery of the western distributor road to provide access to this property. I understand that works on the road have begun. Once completed, IDA Ireland will actively market the Oakfield site to its client base with a view to attracting new investment to the area.

While IDA Ireland has no plans to construct buildings in County Leitrim, I am pleased that Leitrim's existing client base has shown a remarkably strong level of commitment to the county. In fact, the level of employment by overseas companies in Leitrim has increased by 46% between 2013 and 2017. I answered a question on this point earlier for Deputy Kenny. There are now 889 people employed in IDA Ireland client companies in Leitrim, compared to 606 in 2013.

Leitrim, along with Sligo and Donegal, is marketed by IDA Ireland as part of the north-west region. Employment in the north-west region has been steadily growing in recent years. Last year, for example, IDA Ireland client companies in the north west created 330 new jobs, bringing total employment in overseas companies to 6,462 people across 40 client companies. There is a strong base of investment within Sligo and Leitrim with 28 IDA Ireland client companies employing a total of 3,073 people across the two counties. IDA Ireland is determined to grow these numbers further and it is engaging with its client base to sustain employment creation and investment.

Indigenous enterprise is also contributing to employment in Sligo and Leitrim. With regard to Sligo, a total of 1,733 people were employed in 69 Enterprise Ireland-supported enterprises in the county last year, representing an increase of 12% since 2016.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The local enterprise office in Sligo, meanwhile, helped to create 51 new jobs last year, bringing total employment in LEO-supported companies to 969. As for Leitrim, 559 people were employed across 25 Enterprise Ireland-supported companies in the county in 2017. The Leitrim LEO also helped to create 39 new jobs, with 454 people now employed in firms it supports.

We recognise though that there is room for improvement in the north west and we are working hard across Government to further unlock the economic potential of the area. The enterprise agencies remain pivotal to this and they continue to engage with their clients and one another to create jobs and source new investment for the region.

I welcome the fact that the advance factory unit site was completed in Sligo. I welcome the partnership of IDA Ireland and the local authority to open up infrastructural development.

The key issue is to ensure that we have a proactive campaign of site visits to promote the north west. The Minister of State referred to clustering. Certainly in Sligo and the surrounding part of the region clustering is evolving. However, it has to be continually supported and sustained.

The Minister of State referred to the development of the Oakfield site. I hope he takes into account the views of Deputy Scanlon and others, who have been consistently calling for greater emphasis on site visits to the region, specifically in Sligo and Leitrim, to ensure critical capacity is created in the area. This would enable the area to sustain itself between inward investment and the local economy, which can capture the spin-offs benefits from the multinational companies.

Sligo is where we launched Project Ireland 2040. It is very much a part of our balanced regional development to ensure the north-west region grows.

In 2017 some 559 people were employed across 25 Enterprise Ireland supported companies in County Leitrim. Sligo is a strong base for foreign direct investment, where 2,184 people are employed by 23 multinational companies. It is important to point that out. Local enterprise offices, LEOs, provided 51 new jobs last year, bringing the total provided by the LEOs to 969.

The development in Oakfield, Sligo is important and this is a turning point in respect of this greenfield site, as having access is very important. Sligo County Council has started works on the road and such connectivity is important. I saw it for myself when I was there last year. A number of job announcement for Sligo have been made in recent times, and I believe more will be made in the future. The Oakfield site is a good base for attracting companies, which is very much the target of the IDA.

I want the Minister of State to convey the sentiments that I have expressed on behalf of Deputy Scanlon to ensure there is a continual proactive engagement by the IDA in attracting and encouraging multinationals to locate and invest in the Sligo-Leitrim region. The fact that the Oakfield site is now coming on stream because of the collaboration between the local authority and the IDA is a positive development. I hope the Minister of State can give a commitment that he will convey those views. We must have continual site visits and promotion of the north west as a place to do business, specifically on the Oakfield site.

Deputy McLoughlin has been bombarding our offices on this matter as well, as has Deputy Scanlon. Balanced regional development is extremely important for the Government. We want to ensure that the regions attract industry, which is why the Government has highly ambitious regional job creation targets. This is why we have provided resources to the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices to ensure they can grow jobs in the region. Sligo is very much on the radar; there are some really good companies there. We spoke about Abbott earlier, and there are other companies there as well, including indigenous and foreign direct investment, FDI, companies, which are all contributing to the infrastructure in Sligo town, working collaboratively with Sligo County Council and other agencies. I am satisfied that Sligo will continue to be a part of the IDA's portfolio for creating jobs and that it will benefit both from that and from tourism, which is extremely important to the region as well.

Job Creation

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

11. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new enterprises set up under the aegis of her Department involving indigenous or foreign direct investment in the past twelve months; the quality of the jobs provided; the extent to which it was possible to obtain appropriately qualified staff for such venture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22810/18]

This question seeks to ascertain the extent of jobs arising from foreign direct investment and from indigenous investment in the past 12 months, and the extent to which it is possible to provide the skills requirements for such employment.

The programme for a partnership Government sets the clear ambition to have an additional 200,000 people at work by 2020, with 135,000 of those additional jobs to be outside of Dublin. My Department and its agencies have this ambition at the heart of our enterprise strategy and Action Plan for Jobs and good progress is being made towards that target. According to the CSO, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April 2018 fell to 5.9%, a marked decline from 6.8% a year earlier in April 2017. Significantly, the seasonally adjusted live register figures were down to 229,600 according to the CSO, the lowest number since July 2008. The agencies of my Department have played a central role in supporting enterprise to sustain and create new jobs and indeed the employment levels in Enterprise Ireland, EI, and IDA Ireland supported firms reached record levels in 2017.

As market conditions and general economic outlook have continued to improve in recent years, there has been a natural tightening in the labour market, which has impacted on all enterprises, indigenous and FDI alike. My Department will continue to work with the Department of Education and Skills through the National Skills Council, the expert group on future skills needs and with education and training providers throughout the country to ensure we continue to provide the skills required for a growing economy.

In the case of EI-supported firms, 14,614 new jobs were created in 2017, with a net gain in employment of 8,945. This brought the total employed in EI-supported firms to 209,338 for the first time. Supporting entrepreneurs and new business formation is at the heart of our job creation strategy and in 2017, EI approved funding for 90 new high potential start-up, HPSU, companies. HPSUs are defined by their potential to become exporting businesses which have ten or more staff and €1 million in sales within three years of starting up. Enterprise Ireland also approved funding across nine calls under the competitive start funds, CSFs, for 91 early stage start-ups in 2017. This included a call for up to €500,000 in funding targeted at experienced business professionals, and €1 million in funding for international entrepreneurs and recent graduates.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

A call for funding worth up to €750,000 targeted companies in manufacturing and internationally traded services and €1.5 million in funding was made available through regional entrepreneurship and FinTech CSFs.

In addition, in the period from 1 January 2017 to 30 April 2018, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, approved 360 priming projects. The number of priming grants is representative of the number of new enterprises established. These projects have the potential to create just over 1,400 jobs over the next three years.

Similarly, IDA Ireland is continuing to win new investment for Ireland, in a highly competitive global environment. The IDA set targets for the creation of jobs in Ireland over a five-year period from 2015 to 2019 as part of its Winning strategy – this target was itself a 40% uplift on the previous strategy from 2010 to 2014.

In 2017 the number of new investments secured by the IDA was 237 and to date in 2018, the IDA has announced 32 new investments. As of the end of 2017, there is a record 210,443 people employed in IDA supported firms nationally, with a net increase in employment of 10,684 in 2017 over 2016. Key to the success of the IDA in winning new investment for Ireland is the quality of the talent and human capital here, which is a key element of the decision-making process by all existing and potential IDA clients to locate in Ireland.

Each investment project has a set of unique and quite specific skills requirement. The ability of the investor to source the very best quality people, with appropriate levels of training and experience is a prime consideration for the investor and a real location differentiator. Some of the skills required will be available from within Ireland, while others such as language skills may involve relocation from overseas or transfers from within existing companies.

The ability of Ireland’s skill base to help support the ongoing evolution of FDI companies in Ireland and to allow them to bid for new corporate projects as they arise is critical to maintain and build their long-term employment impact in Ireland. This is true both in the direct jobs created but also indirectly through the downstream jobs impact on Irish subsuppliers, and the economy in general.

Ireland’s availability of skilled labour is one of the primary reasons cited by IDA clients for establishing their operations in Ireland. A scaling up in the supply of domestic foreign languages capability in second and third level will enhance Ireland's proposition for foreign direct investment.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Can I further ask the degree to which Ireland remains an attractive location for foreign direct investment, given the degree of competition in the market place and having regard to issues such as Brexit and the challenges ahead? To what extent does the Minister of State see the FDI and indigenous sectors competing with each other, with the obvious consequent beneficial effect on the employment levels?

Ireland remains a very attractive location for FDI. The Deputy spoke about competing. It is interesting to note that just last week Enterprise Ireland and the IDA got together to bring indigenous companies together with FDI companies in three locations - Dublin, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan's constituency of Limerick, and Sligo - where they competed with one another to subsupply into those FDI companies that are already in Ireland. It was a great success. There was great interaction between the indigenous Irish companies and the FDI companies we already have in this country. That is an example of collaboration and of how the two agencies work. That collaboration is extremely important for them. SMEs and micro-enterprises make up 98% of all enterprises in this country and employ almost 70% of the workers. The SME sector is extremely important, being the indigenous sector that Enterprise Ireland takes care of. FDI is extremely important but many small companies are set up from FDI and which subsupply such companies. That collaboration is extremely important, and we work really well in that regard, as well as in terms of the local enterprise offices.

Can I further ask the extent to which the jobs available are filled with the skill sets that are locally available? What are the trends there? Have the adequacy of that labour force going into the future and the hi-tech skills required been looked at? To what degree does the Minister of State's Department interact with other Departments, such as the Department of Education and Skills, to ensure that a steady flow of suitably qualified people remain available for both the indigenous sector and the FDI sector?

This question was asked by Members of the Opposition earlier today. It is a very good question and is an issue we are working on. The matter of upgrading skills is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills but we work very closely with it on this matter to outline the skills shortages that exist in the workplace at present. We are working together with third level institutions and multinational companies, and within my Department, to outline exactly what skills shortages exist. The future of work is changing. Digital technology is rapidly changing the way in which we do things and the type of companies we are attracting into Ireland are embracing the technology that already exists. I am talking about robotics, artificial intelligence, drone technology, virtual reality and artificial reality. Those areas are very much a part of what the future of Ireland will be based on. We want to embrace that technology and are putting a particular emphasis on ensuring that we have a skilled workforce. We are working with the multinational companies. The education system is changing as we ensure that more apprenticeships are being offered by companies. There is a lot happening, which is why we are the fastest growing economy in Europe and why we are a magnet for attracting FDI into the country. That will continue into the future. Last week I held the Digital 9 meeting in Dublin to outline exactly what we are doing to embrace the technology and ensure our third level institutions are open to that.

Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
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