Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
552. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new jobs created by his Department as a result of the jobs initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37280/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe role of Government is to create the conditions where jobs can be created by the enterprise sector. Supporting the maintenance of existing jobs is also an important objective of the Government. The Jobs Initiative, which was announced in May 2011, was aimed at rebuilding confidence in the economy, providing opportunities for the re-skilling of those who had lost their jobs, and assisting people to get back to work. It was a whole-of-Government initiative, for delivery across a range of Departments. While it is not possible to indicate the exact number of positions which have been filled as a result of the measures introduced under the Jobs Initiative, there is no doubt that they are contributing to both maintaining existing jobs and creating new ones.
The Jobs Initiative introduced a reduction in the VAT rate from 13.5% to 9% from 1 July 2011 on a range of labour-intensive services, with a particular focus on the hospitality sector. The Government also halved employers’ PRSI in respect of those earning up to €356 per annum. These measures helped to support an annual increase in employment of 8,700 people in the Accommodation and Food Services sector in the first quarter of 2102, as reported in the Quarterly National Household Survey published by the Central Statistics Office on 7 June. The Government has also introduced a visa-waiver scheme, which was announced in the Jobs Initiative, to further support the tourism sector. The number of overseas visitors to Ireland increased by 7% in 2011, the first increase since 2007.
The Jobs Initiative targeted €135 million Capital spending at labour-intensive local projects, focussing on school works, local roads, energy efficiency and smarter travel projects. The level of take-up and activity under the domestic energy retrofitting schemes to date is demonstrably supporting employment. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has reported that over 5,800 full time jobs were supported in 2011 through the Better Energy retrofitting scheme. This represented an increase of some 2,000 jobs being supported under the scheme.
The JobBridge National Internship Programme was announced in the Jobs Initiative and was launched on 1 July 2011. To date, over 10,000 people have participated on JobBridge. Initial feedback received by the Department of Social Protection indicates that approximately 40% of participants have been offered a position on or before completion of their internship. This figure is expected to increase as more detailed data is collected.
From my own Department’s perspective, the Jobs Initiative announced proposals for the introduction of a Partial Credit Guarantee scheme, a Microfinance Fund for small business start-ups, the extension of the 15 day prompt payment arrangements to the wider public sector, improvements to the R&D tax credit scheme, the introduction of a diaspora “job finders” scheme and improvements in access to procurement for SMEs. All of these measures, and many more, have been now implemented under the Action Plan for Jobs which followed on from the Jobs Initiative. These measures, which have been introduced in recent months, will have a sustainable impact on employment.
