Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 November 2013
8. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the specific projects that he plans for County Donegal arising from Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012 - 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50565/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra22. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on his efforts to create new jobs in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50486/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy question is to ask the Minister the specific projects he has planned for County Donegal arising from Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016. Specifically I would like the Minister to outline the projects he has planned as part of that. His Department is spending more than €500 million per year on capital projects in the coming years. Can the Minister give an assurance that there will be funding for specific projects in Donegal? I will mention three in particular-----
No you will not, not yet. The Deputy has only 30 seconds for his introduction.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 22 together.
Enterprise Ireland runs many initiatives to help sustain existing jobs and to create new jobs in the county and provides funding to the Institute of Technology in Letterkenny to build research capabilities in County Donegal and the north west region. There are 180 Enterprise Ireland client companies in County Donegal employing 2,655 people on a full-time basis and 706 people on a contract or part-time basis. Donegal’s industry base is transforming from the clothing and textile industry to high-tech, high-skill activity and IDA Ireland actively promotes County Donegal as a successful location for high-end manufacturing.
There are 14 IDA Ireland-supported companies in Donegal employing 2,228 people in full- and part-time employment in software development, systems development and medical technology. IDA Ireland also actively engages with its existing base of companies in County Donegal, highlighting the ongoing importance of upskilling and reskilling and the need to add high-value activities to ensure sustainability and ongoing development.
Donegal County Enterprise Board, CEB, aims to develop indigenous enterprise potential, with the provision of financial and non-financial assistance such as priming grants, business expansion and development grants and feasibility or innovation study grants together with business advice and information services. In 2012, projects supported by Donegal CEB employed 1,578 people on a full-time basis and 856 on a contract or part-time basis.
As regards future plans, the new local enterprise offices, LEOs, will draw and build on the successful CEB model. They will be the first-stop-shop through which all information on State supports for small and micro businesses can be accessed and where businesses with clear high-growth potential can be fast-tracked to the next level of support from Enterprise Ireland. This enhanced model is designed to harness the best elements of the enterprise agencies and local government and to support local business and contribute to local development. For the first time, the skills, experience and resources of Enterprise Ireland, the CEBs and the local authorities will be combined in a structured and coherent manner to benefit micro and small businesses.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
I am currently preparing the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs on behalf of the Government and we will continue, through that process, to build on the success of the actions we have taken in the past two years. At a macro level the Government’s strategy is to re-build the economy and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, jobs-rich economy based on enterprise, innovation and exports. Thus will we create the environment in which sustainable jobs will be created, living standards will be raised and Ireland will be regarded as an attractive location in which to live and work.
My Department’s focus is primarily on employment creation in the enterprise sector. We are doing this through the action plan for jobs and have already seen the positive results of the action being taken across the whole of Government to support the enterprise sector to sustain existing jobs and create new ones. The enterprise development agencies, under my Department, are at the forefront of implementing the action plan for jobs.
I asked the Minister specifically for the specific projects he has planned for County Donegal under Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016. The Minister is spending approximately €500 million in capital under that programme in the coming years. He made no reference to any project in his answer. He barely referred to the capital investment plan. With due respect, all I got was a load of waffle on the specifics of the question I asked. Could the Minister give me clear answers to my question? What specific projects, if any, does he plan for Donegal under the capital investment plan for 2012 to 2016? If he cannot tell me of any, am I to take it that there are none planned?
There are three projects in particular on which I want an answer: the Letterkenny to Lifford link and the A5 dual carriageway; the Bunnagee link in Letterkenny, linking the east side of the town to the Milford area; and the Corkhill bridge in Buncrana. Those three projects are ready to go. Are there any plans on those? Does the Minister propose to spend any of the budget in County Donegal?
Deputy McConalogue has a total misunderstanding of the purpose of the capital budget allocated to my Department. It is to support enterprises that are growing. It is not available for road projects, which would have to be funded by other Departments. Perhaps the Deputy would direct his question to those Departments. We support Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland companies and micro-companies in their development. Last year we saw a 25% increase in two years in the number of people employed in IDA Ireland companies in County Donegal. That is a very significant commitment of additional resource by my Department to expand employment opportunities in IDA Ireland-sponsored companies. The proposals for enterprise development come from companies visiting and choosing to locate or grow, or Irish-owned companies starting up or developing. Those are the main vehicles for capital allocation spending from my Department. A significant portion will go to Donegal.
The Minister has a plan for 2012 to 2016. It is the capital infrastructure development plan. I am well aware that other Departments are involved in road projects but I am putting those as three specific projects that could help create jobs. I have asked the Minister if there is anything in his plan that could assist the county.
So far, all we have got from the Minister is generalities. Apart from generalities, what specifically does he plan to do to aid job creation in the county?
The truth is I cannot build roads. I do not have the authority to do so nor can I fund the building of roads. While I am sure there is great merit in the Deputy's proposal, I am not the Minister to do it but I can support enterprises. We have 14 IDA Ireland and 180 Enterprise Ireland companies in County Donegal. We will approach those companies in the coming year to see what their plans are for development. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland will work to help those companies to develop business plans which can realise employment growth in the future. That is what the money we will allocate will be used for.
We will also set up the local enterprise network in County Donegal. It is a new collaborative approach between Donegal County Council, the existing enterprise board and Enterprise Ireland. Those are initiatives we will take to help grow new businesses in County Donegal. That is what my capital allocation is used for, and yesterday's results show the impact of that. We have 58,000 extra people working in this country which includes a substantial increase of almost 10,000 in the north west. The work we are doing is having an impact on the Deputy's region as well as on every other region in this country. He must, however, address infrastructural issues of a wider nature to the Ministers responsible.
