Pat Deering
Ceist:69. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she has reviewed the Action Plan for Jobs for the south east; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5944/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 7 February 2018
Ceisteanna (69)
Freagraí scríofa
Enterprise development and job creation in the regions of Ireland is a key policy priority of this Government and my Department has been actively engaged in the regional jobs agenda through the Regional Action Plan for Jobs (RAPJ) initiative for the past two years.
The Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is a central pillar of the Government’s ambition to create 200,000 new jobs by 2020, 135,000 of which are outside of Dublin. A key objective of each of the 8 regional plans is to have a further 10 to 15 per cent at work in each region by 2020, with the unemployment rate of each region not more than one percentage point greater than the national average.
The South East Action Plan for Jobs is a key policy response for supporting employment growth in the South East, with public and private stakeholders currently engaged in driving the range of innovative and practical actions set out in the Plan. It includes a series of practical actions to support enterprise growth and job creation in the region, with clear timelines for delivery. The Action Plans seek to capitalise on the particular strengths and opportunities of the region and a central aim is to champion the concept of regional collaboration from the ‘ground up’ to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in the region that grows jobs and enterprises.
Progress on implementation of the Regional Action Plans is constantly under review and two Progress Reports on the implementation of the Plan’s 194 actions have been published to date, with a third one currently being finalised that will cover the second half of 2017. All reports show that good progress is being made, and over 90% of the Plan’s actions are on track to be delivered, or have been completed.
Importantly, the South East Regional Plan for Jobs has been embraced within the region and the efforts by stakeholders and businesses in the region are paying off: 16,200 more people are in employment in the South East from Q1 2015 (baseline year) to Q2 2017, representing significant progress towards the 25,000 target for 2020 as set out in the plan.
Also, over the 12 months to Q2 2017, there has been a slight improvement in the number of people employed in the region (+700).
However, while Live Register numbers have fallen in all south-eastern counties in the past 12 months, CSO figures show that the unemployment rate in the South East is currently at 8% (Q3 2017), which places the region in a small group of those (including the Midlands and Mid-West) whose unemployment rates are more than one percentage point higher than the State average.
This is too high, especially since the Q3 2017 State average is 6.9%, and underlines the importance of retaining a focus on regional enterprise development and job creation in the South East.
In 2017, both Enterprise Ireland and IDA reported job increases in the South East of 4% and 9% respectively, the latter figure being the largest increase of all regions in the State in this period.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) operating under the auspices of the Local Authorities and Enterprise Ireland continue to play a vital role in providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports to those wishing to start or grow their own businesses in the region. The LEOs in the South East had 1,274 clients in 2016 employing 6,690 people. Results for 2017 are expected to be published shortly.
Building on the strong progress and the momentum of collaboration achieved to date in the South East through the Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative is my priority and I and my Department look forward to further engagement with regional stakeholders in relation to prioritisation and focus of actions to achieve the employment targets set out to 2020.
My Department is also working closely with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in relation to the National Planning Framework and development of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, and with the Department of Rural and Community Development on roll out of the Action Plan for Rural Development.