Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 June 2018
522. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of jobs created under the Action Plan for Rural Development in counties Roscommon and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27477/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of the objectives of the Action Plan for Rural Development is to support enterprise growth and job creation in rural areas. The Government has set a target of supporting the creation of 135,000 extra jobs outside of Dublin by 2020 and specific measures to achieve this target are set out in the Action Plan. These measures are delivered across a range of Government Departments and agencies.
The latest Labour Force Survey published by the Central Statistics Office shows that employment increased nationally by 62,100 in the year to Q1 2018. Employment increased in almost all regions of the country in that period.
While specific figures are not available at county level as requested by the Deputy, employment in the West region, which includes Galway, Roscommon and Mayo, increased by 9,400 in the twelve months to Q1 2018.
The Regional Action Plans for Jobs, which are overseen by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, play a particularly important role in supporting job creation in the regions. My own Department also contributes directly to job creation in rural areas through programmes such the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and LEADER. LEADER is a multi-annual programme which has a budget of €250 million over the period to 2020 and has a job creation target of 3,100 over the lifetime of the programme.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, which provide investment of €1 billion in rural areas over the next ten years, will also make a significant contribution to job opportunities for people who live in rural Ireland. I will be launching the first call for proposals under the Fund shortly.
