Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2010
123 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the work that has been completed to date with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the interim report of the mid-west task force; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12230/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra124 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if work to complete the final report of the mid-west task force is underway; when it is expected that the final report will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12231/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.
I made a detailed Statement to the House on 28 January on this issue, as did a number of my colleagues. An updated summary on the Government's responses to the Task Force recommendations is provided as follows.
The Task Force completed an Interim Report which was presented to me by Mr Brosnan last July. Since then the Government has been responding to the recommendations under the various headings. Last September, I sent the Task Force a report on responses up to that time. I have now completed a broad consultation, taking account of Ministers' budgets for 2010, with other Ministers and all relevant Divisions and agencies in my own Department, and I expect to send a further report to the Task Force very shortly.
In relation to regional issues, the Dáil Statements and my reports to the Task Force indicate that:
Throughout 2009, a multi-agency response to the Dell-related job losses has been taking place at two levels, providing information & services to individual employees facing unemployment to facilitate them to re-train, to re-educate or to start a new business, and delivering specific initiatives to indigenous sub-supply companies in the Mid-West to explore alternative markets, products and business opportunities.
These measures are now being continued and expanded up to September 2011 under a successful application which I made last June under the EU's European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which has been approved at EU level and is being put into effect.
In relation to industrial employment in the Mid-West, 1,100 new jobs are now coming on stream in Limerick and Clare in eight projects approved by IDA and Shannon Development in 2008 and 2009. Five new High Potential start-ups were established in the Mid-West in 2009 with Enterprise Ireland support, and a €26m Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Equity Fund supported by Enterprise Ireland and the University of Limerick Foundation to invest in start-up and early stage companies has recently been announced.
Shannon Development has begun the further development of the National Technology Park in Limerick into a more strategic site for the attraction of industrial investment from Irish and foreign companies.
I asked IDA in its recently published Strategy to make a renewed stronger job-creation effort in the regions, including the Mid-West, and particularly the broader Limerick area, which have recently fared less well in industrial employment.
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is now carrying through arrangements to develop the Governance structures in relation to the broader Limerick area and to implement regeneration in Limerick City.
In relation to Shannon Airport, the Lynx Cargo Group and the Dublin Airport Authority are now completing an examination of the feasibility of developing a major cargo facility at the Airport.
In addition to the national Tourism Marketing Fund of €44.25 million in 2010, Tourism Ireland will engage in cooperative marketing campaigns with air carriers to promote ease of access and to stimulate demand for travel to the Shannon region from key source markets. Shannon Development will continue its annual Tourism spend in the region, a support which is not available to other regions.
In relation to Roads, the region has recently seen the completion of projects such as the N18 Ennis By-pass, the N85 Western Relief Road and the N7 Southern Ring Road Phase 1. The NRA work programme will see further extensive development to the road network in the region, including routes such as the N7, N18 and N17, the M20 to Cork, a number of link and by-pass roads close to Limerick City, as well as the Northern Ring Road.
Apart from initiatives relating specifically to the Mid-West region, Government has been responding to the economic downturn generally and has taken numerous initiatives. Many of these respond to Task Force recommendations, and the Mid-West has already benefited from them:
Our cost competitiveness and our wage competitiveness have been significantly improved.
The price of energy for industry has been significantly reduced.
The Enterprise Stabilisation Fund has helped to keep viable businesses going and to keep jobs in place. 148 companies were approved for funding of €59 million by the end of 2009.
The Government has supported more than 80,000 jobs under the Employment Subsidy Scheme.
The referral capacity for FÁS employment supports were doubled in 2009 to 147,000 places.
The recent Budget also announced a new Jobs stimulus measure for this year under the Employer Jobs PRSI Incentive Scheme.
The recommendations of the Mid-West Task Force have been very helpful in focusing the response of Government, Departments and Agencies, both at regional and national level. I shall continue to keep the Task Force informed on the Government's work on matters covered in the interim recommendations. The Task Force has identified a number of issues for further study in its Final Report, which I look forward to receiving shortly.
