Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 April 2012
5Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the work he has done with the Executive in Northern Ireland to share enterprise development resources including international offices between the Industrial Development Agency, Enterprise Ireland and InvestNI. [21034/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe development of a world-class all-island economy is of strategic importance and strongly complements our mission to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies. There is a long history of co-operative action between North-South enterprise agencies to achieve mutual benefits. Close co-operation has been established between Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland. Since 2006 clients of both agencies can access market services, trade missions, overseas offices, trade fairs, seminars and market development programmes provided by each agency. In 2011, two Northern Ireland companies participated in two Enterprise Ireland trade events and 23 in six client knowledge forum events.
The all-island innovation voucher initiative, jointly launched by Enterprise Ireland and Invest NI, provides Irish SMEs with access to a further ten knowledge providers based in the North, and allows Northern Ireland based SMEs use Invest NI innovation vouchers to access expertise in research institutions based in the Republic of Ireland.
The Acumen programme is an all-island business development programme managed by InterTradeIreland and supported by Enterprise Ireland, Invest NI, FÁS, Údarás, and county enterprise boards and is designed to stimulate cross-Border sales and co-ordinate development among SMEs North and South to establish and build market presence in the other jurisdiction.
The IDA and Invest NI have been involved in areas of mutual interest which have centred on improvements in infrastructure, such as roads, airports and electricity and creating centres of critical mass such as in Letterkenny and Derry. The agency has participated in the north-west cross-Border gateway initiative through the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference. The focus has been on a range of various elements of Government policy and planning. I am confident there is strong co-operation between these enterprise development bodies which is contributing worthwhile cross-Border benefits.
The issue of competition for investment and jobs is nonsense. That this island would have a plethora of enterprise organisations such as Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest NI does not make sense. We also have the Northern Ireland Bureau and embassies across the planet, all of which are duplicating work. While there has been some improvements in this area, we have not achieved very much since InterTradeIreland was established in 1998, which is almost 20 years ago. For example, in California, the eighth the largest economy in the world, we have seven IDA staff, five Enterprise Ireland staff and nine Invest Northern Ireland staff. Why the duplication there? In China, a massive emerging market, we have 15 IDA and Enterprise Ireland staff and three INI staff. These organisations are competing with each other to get investment to Ireland. Given the economic climate is this duplication making sense or is it time for the Government parties to step outside the ideological box in this regard and try to understand that one all Ireland investment and enterprise development agency is long overdue?
The collaboration has been successful. I will give one or two examples. InterTradeIreland is one of the six North-South implementation bodies-----
It is 20 years old.
It is 14 years old. Key InterTradeIreland initiatives include the Acumen programme which stimulates cross-Border trade by assisting individual SMEs, as does the Fusion programme. Some 19,000 SMEs have benefited from cross-Border information and 2,400 have taken part in all-island programmes. Some €600 million worth of trade and business development has been generated and 1,300 new jobs have been created. On the joint North-South agencies initiative, Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and InterTradeIreland have teamed up to host Bridging the Border seminars, which have been very effective. Information is also provided on agencies support as well as one-to-one meetings. The Promoting Entrepreneurship Programme has also been equally effective. I recently attended the Halo Business Angels Network which has been very successful. The North West Business and Technology Zone, NWBTZ, Initiative in Letterkenny has equally been successful. Part of IDA's contribution to the NWBTZ project involved incorporating its three separate business parks in Letterkenny into a 44 ha state-of-the-art business and technology park which matches international standards.
Invest Northern Ireland's contribution has been spread between three geographical sites. There are many events taking place under the north west partnership. Enterprise Ireland has in the North-South context focused on two areas, liaising with cross-Border bodies such as the Ireland Fund, Joint Business Council and, increasingly, Invest Northern Ireland and InterTradeIreland on specific project issues. This has been very effective, as has been the Seventh Framework Programme on funding. The Students Enterprise Award and All-Ireland Innovation Voucher schemes have been effective in terms of a sharing of resources. A huge level of funding is being provided through INTERREG and the Peace Fund, which funding has benefited companies on both sides.
If the Government's only objective was to set about creating a health service, which was efficient and ensured good services for the people of Ireland, would it slap a border in the middle of it? Would it create two Departments and two Administrations and duplicate the process? If the Government's only objective is to develop enterprise again, would the Government slap a border in the middle of it, create two Departments, two Administrations and two international office networks? It would not. I have worked for InterTrade Ireland. It was one of the projects which Sinn Féin pushed for in the Good Friday Agreement.
I am asking the Minister what this Government has done to push the issue forward. I do not want him to cite agencies created 14 years ago. I would ask that he leave his script aside and speak to this directly. This is an issue on which both of us could be on the same page. It is something that could reduce the cost to the State and increase the level of enterprise development. Will the Minister use the North-South Ministerial body - we have an open ear in terms of our party in the North of Ireland - to not alone express platitudes or to quote history on this issue but to push hard for this development?
I am not expressing platitudes. There is a huge level of co-operation, including by the IDA and Invest Northern Ireland. I attended an event in the Border counties yesterday held by the Border County Regional Authority. There is a huge level of action on the part of the enterprise boards in the North. Much has happened in the past 14 years in terms of co-operation. There is a huge level of exports from the Republic into the North. There is also an all-Ireland tourism body.
They are things for which Sinn Féin worked. What has this Government done?
We are proactively supporting Invest Northern Ireland and are doing much work through the ministerial council. I have no doubt how best we can further enhance that co-operation to grow business will be raised at the council. I have no doubt that there will be further improvements in the future. To date, there has been notable successes. Everyone involved must be complimented on the number of jobs created thus far. The level of funding provided by both jurisdictions has been effective in terms of job creation and promoting the island of Ireland as a whole economy, which is important.
There are a number of questions remaining to be dealt with. I want to be fair to all Members.
