Tuesday, 18 Dec 2018

Written Answers Nos. 293-312

Jobs Initiative

Ceisteanna (293)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

293. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the moneys expended in promoting and hosting the future jobs summit event and strategy to date, including costs (details supplied), in tabular form; the budget allocated for the future jobs summit event and strategy with respect to promotional activities in 2018 and 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52817/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

Future Jobs Ireland - Preparing Now for Tomorrow's Economy - is a whole of government initiative led by my Department in partnership with the Department of the Taoiseach. It will set a new economic agenda which complements existing economic plans such as Project Ireland 2040. Future Jobs will be guided by five pillars namely:

1. Increasing productivity especially in indigenous enterprises;

2. Increasing innovation and adapting to technological change;

3. Developing future talent and skills;

4. Increasing labour force participation; and

5. Transitioning to the low carbon economy.

Employers, employees, academia and civic society all have a deep interest in the development of Future Jobs Ireland and there has been extensive consultation with stakeholders. The Future Jobs summit held in the Aviva Stadium on November 22nd last was a part of this consultation process. Over 200 participants attending had an opportunity to directly engage with each other, and with me and my ministerial colleagues, especially through six break-out sessions which explored important themes. The summit also entailed two keynote speeches as well as panel discussions.

Excellent input was generated by participants and my department’s website (https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Business-Sectoral-Initiatives/Future-Jobs/ ) sets out the key points raised along with supporting documentation.

The moneys expended on the summit are set out below in tabular format as requested:

Advertising	€0.00
Online media advertising	€0.00
Design work	€0.00
Photography and Video	€4,225.05
Event staging including AV Equipment	€4,348.05
Venue hire including breakout rooms and catering	€9,566.20
Print	€36.00
Public Relations	€0.00
Total 2018	€18,175.30

A total budget of €25,000 was set aside for the summit in 2018. Other costs of €4,169 were incurred which provided for travel and accommodation costs for a foreign based speaker and moderator fees. The event management, media/PR, design and documentation were all carried out by officials.

I expect Future Jobs Ireland 2019 to be launched in February 2019. My officials are currently in the process of developing business plans and budgets for 2019 and it is not known at this stage how much additional monies, if any, may be required for further promotional activities relating to the development of Future Jobs Ireland.

Proposed Legislation

Ceisteanna (294)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

294. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the consumer rights Bill in view of the fact that the heads of a Bill were published in 2015. [52820/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

As indicated in replies to a number of previous questions on this subject, progress on the Scheme of the Consumer Rights Bill which issued for public consultation in May 2015 had to be paused because of the publication later that year of two European Union legislative proposals on consumer contracts for the supply of digital content and the sales of goods which overlapped very substantially with two of the four main parts of the Scheme. The view was taken that there was little point in introducing legislation in the Oireachtas in 2016 if large parts of that legislation would have to be repealed or substantially amended within a relatively short time after its enactment. In my view, this outcome would not have been in the interests of either consumers or businesses.

Regrettably, progress on the EU legislative proposals has been slower than originally anticipated. While the Justice and Home Affairs Council agreed a general approach on the digital content proposal in June 2017, a difference of opinion between the Council and the European Parliament on whether goods with digital elements or ‘smart goods’ should be regulated under the digital content or the sales of goods Directives delayed progress in the subsequent trilogues. A general approach on the sales of goods proposal was agreed at the recent Justice and Home Affairs Council on 7 December. I am glad to be able to report that the general approach achieved on this proposal is expected to pave the way for agreement on the digital content proposal. While there is still some way to go, there is now a good prospect that both Directives will be adopted before the end of the current term of the European Parliament in April 2019. My Department will then be in a position to recommence work on the Scheme of the Consumer Rights Bill.

IDA Ireland Data

Ceisteanna (295)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

295. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 112 of 25 January 2018, the available IDA lands at the end of quarter 4 of 2018; the occupied IDA lands at the end of quarter 4 of 2018, by county, town and size in hectares in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52824/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

The availability of an adequate supply of marketable serviced land and buildings in advance of demand is a key element in the IDA's ability to compete for mobile foreign direct investment. That is because the availability of property solutions to potential investors allows projects to begin at an earlier date by diminishing much of the difficulties associated with land acquisition, planning and construction. It remains, therefore, an important means by which the IDA can encourage and attract new investors to Ireland, particularly to the regions.

The following tables list all IDA Ireland land available for marketing (Table A) and occupied IDA Ireland properties (Table B) as at the end of Quarter 4 of 2018.

Table A: IDA marketable lands by county.

Property Name	Property Address	Property Town	Property County	Property Type	Property Status	Net Hectares Marketable
Bagenalstown		Bagenalstown	County Carlow	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1555
Cavan B&T Park		Cavan	County Cavan	Business Park	Marketable	10.2
Rossa Ave	Cork City	Cork City	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1152
Rathhallikeen	Kinsale	Kinsale	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1298
Ringaskiddy Estate	Cork City	Cork City	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.2023
Mallow B & T Park		Kanturk	County Cork	Business Park	Marketable	0.6831
Cork B&T Park	Model Farm Rd	Cork City	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.83
Rathealy	Fermoy	Fermoy	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.9407
Foxhole	Youghal	Youghal	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.0063
Laragh Estate	Bandon	Bandon	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.83
Rathgoggan Estate	Charleville	Charleville	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.86
Springfield Estate	Youghal	Youghal	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.87
Drombrow	Bantry	Bantry	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.9627
Pulleen	Kanturk	Kanturk	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.47
Poundlick Estate	Skibbereen	Skibbereen	County Cork	Industrial Estate	Marketable	3.86
Fermoy B & T Park	Dublin Road	Fermoy	County Cork	Business Park	Marketable	6.05
Carrigtohill B&T Park		Carrigtohill	County Cork	Strategic Site	Marketable	22.85
Cork Carrigtohill East	Ballyadam	Carrigtohill East	County Cork	Strategic Site	Marketable	53.1576
Cork City Kilbarry B&T Park	Dublin Hill	Cork City	County Cork	Business Park	Marketable	57.53
Ringaskiddy		Cork City	County Cork	Strategic Site	Marketable	165.86
Letterkenny Lisnenan 2		Letterkenny/Manorcun	County Donegal	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.313
Lurganboy	Donegal	Donegal/Tully/Clar/B	County Donegal	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.872
Ballyshannon		Ballyshannon	County Donegal	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.0672
Knocknamona	Manorcunningham	Letterkenny	County Donegal	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.35
Letterkenny B & T Park		Letterkenny/Manorcun	County Donegal	Business Park	Marketable	2.6282
Letterkenny B & T Park		Letterkenny/Manorcun	County Donegal	Business Park	Marketable	19.33
Dubl 12 - Ballymount Ind. Est.	Ballymount Industrial Estate	Dublin 12	County Dublin	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.0249
Dublin 24 - Whitestown Ind Est	Whitestown Industrial Estate	Dublin 24	County Dublin	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.56
Swords Bus. Park, Greenfields		Swords	County Dublin	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.82
Dubl 11 - Poppintree Ind. Est.	Poppintree	Dublin 11	County Dublin	Industrial Estate	Marketable	3.78
Blanchardstown B & T Park	Ballycoolen	Blanchardstown	County Dublin	Business Park	Marketable	10.4956
Cruiserath	Blanchardstown	Blanchardstown	County Dublin	Strategic Site	Marketable	27.1925
Belcamp - B & T Park	Belcamp	Dublin 5	County Dublin	Business Park	Marketable	46.44
Mountbellew Business Park		Mountbellew/Ballygar	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1979
Glenamaddy Business Park		Glenamaddy	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.9105
Gort Business Park		Gort	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1
Roundstone		Roundstone	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.42
Tuam Business Park		Tuam	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.17
Ballygar Site		Ballygar	County Galway	Industrial Estate	Marketable	3.4398
Ballinasloe B&T Park		Ballinasloe	County Galway	Business Park	Marketable	8.88
Tuam Science & Technology Park		Tuam	County Galway	Business Park	Marketable	10.1269
Oranmore Science & Tech Park	Carrowmoneash	Galway City	County Galway	Strategic Site	Marketable	26.78
Parkmore B&T Park (W&E)		Galway City	County Galway	Business Park	Marketable	27.27
Athenry		Athenry	County Galway	Strategic Site	Marketable	92.4351
Dingle		Dingle	County Kerry	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.5059
Farrantoreen	Killorglin	Killorglin	County Kerry	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.8224
Acq c.1.0Ha Tralee	Tralee Business & Technology P	Tralee	County Kerry	Business Park	Marketable	1
Killarney B&T Park		Killarney	County Kerry	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.14
Newbridge Business Park		Newbridge	County Kildare	Business Park	Marketable	2.9339
Purcellsinch Ind. Park	Bennetsbridge	Kilkenny	County Kilkenny	Industrial Estate	Marketable	5.64
Kilkenny B&T Park		Kilkenny/Bennetsbrid	County Kilkenny	Business Park	Marketable	14.0783
Belview		Belview	County Kilkenny	Strategic Site	Marketable	26.73
27.9 Ha at Belview (Gorteens)	Belview	Kilkenny	County Kilkenny	Strategic Site	Marketable	27.89
Portlaoise B&T Park		Portlaoise	County Laois	Business Park	Marketable	10.9868
Carrick-On-Shannon	Tullyleague	Carrick-On-Shannon	County Leitrim	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1845
Drumshanbo	Keshcarr	Drumshanbo	County Leitrim	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.2238
Carrickleitrim	Manorhamilton	Manorhamilton	County Leitrim	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.4208
Manorhamilton	Ballin	Manorhamilton	County Leitrim	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.9264
Mohill	Dromod	Mohill	County Leitrim	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.0693
Carrick-On-Shannon B & T Park		Carrick-On-Shannon	County Leitrim	Business Park	Marketable	5.0226
Raheen Business Park	Raheen	Limerick	County Limerick	Business Park	Marketable	47.95
The National Technology Park	Plassey	Limerick	County Limerick	Business Park	Marketable	71.021
Longford Industrial Estate	Lisnamuck	Longford	County Longford	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.0176
Aghafad	Longford	Longford	County Longford	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.0272
Greenore		Greenore	County Louth	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.0272
Dundalk Finnabair B&T Park		Dundalk	County Louth	Business Park	Marketable	7.49
Dundalk Mullagharlin East		Dundalk/Ravensdale	County Louth	Strategic Site	Marketable	12.5
Dundalk Mullagharlin	Mullagharlin	Dundalk	County Louth	Strategic Site	Marketable	44.175
Bango Erris Industrial Park	Bangor Erris	Bangor Erris	County Mayo	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.607
Foxford Business Park		Foxford	County Mayo	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.6798
Castlebar B&T Park		Castlebar	County Mayo	Business Park	Marketable	3.0897
Ballina	Quignashee	Ballina	County Mayo	Industrial Estate	Marketable	10.6141
Drogheda B&T Park	Donore Rd.	Drogheda	County Meath	Business Park	Marketable	22.53
Navan B&T Park		Navan Boyerstown Bro	County Meath	Business Park	Marketable	24.2
Monaghan Business Park	Knockaconny	Monaghan	County Monaghan	Business Park	Marketable	7.53
Tullamore Industrial Estate		Tullamore	County Offaly	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.3541
Clara		Clara	County Offaly	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.4872
Tullamore B&T Park	Srah	Tullamore	County Offaly	Business Park	Marketable	8
Station Rd	Castlerea	Castlerea	County Roscommon	Industrial Estate	Marketable	1.1735
Roscommon B&T Park	Racecourse Road	Roscommon	County Roscommon	Business Park	Marketable	4.8
Easkey Business Park		Easkey	County Sligo	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.0611
Finisklin B & T Park	Castlebaldwin	Sligo	County Sligo	Business Park	Marketable	10.3
Sligo - Oakfield Site		Sligo	County Sligo	Industrial Estate	Marketable	31.3186
Knockanrawley	Tipperary	Tipperary	County Tipperary	Industrial Estate	Marketable	2.08
Clonmel Bus Park		Clonmel	County Tipperary	Industrial Estate	Marketable	20.071
Waterford Industrial Estate	Cork Rd	Waterford	County Waterford	Industrial Estate	Marketable	6.51
Dungarvan B & T Park		Dungarvan	County Waterford	Business Park	Marketable	11.5675
Waterford B&T Park	Butlerstown	Waterford	County Waterford	Business Park	Marketable	22.95
Garrankesh Estate	Athlone	Athlone	County Westmeath	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.0926
Clonmore Ind. Est.	Mullingar	Mullingar	County Westmeath	Industrial Estate	Marketable	6.8
Athlone B&T Park Garrycastle		Athlone	County Westmeath	Business Park	Marketable	13.65
Mullingar B&T Park		Mullingar	County Westmeath	Business Park	Marketable	22.5
Moyne Upper	Enniscorthy	Enniscorthy	County Wexford	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.39
Wexford Whitemills		Wexford	County Wexford	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.066
Wexford B&T Park		Wexford	County Wexford	Business Park	Marketable	3.14
Arklow Kilbride		Arklow	County Wicklow	Industrial Estate	Marketable	0.1197
Arklow B&T Park		Arklow	County Wicklow	Business Park	Marketable	14.564
Greystones B&T Park		Greystones	County Wicklow	Industrial Estate	Marketable	17.93

Table B: IDA fully occupied sites by county.

Property Name	Property Town	Property County
Cootehill	Cootehill	County Cavan
Mallow Quarterstown Estate	Mallow	County Cork
Brookpark	Dunmanway	County Cork
Underhill	Dunmanway	County Cork
Mahon Estate	Cork City	County Cork
Little Island Estate	Cork City	County Cork
Ballincollig	Cork City	County Cork
Hollyhill	Cork	County Cork
Letterkenny Ballyraine	Letterkenny/Manorcun	County Donegal
Windyhall	Letterkenny	County Donegal
Dublin - South County B&T Park	Dublin 18	County Dublin
Swords - Balheary	Swords	County Dublin
Dubl 5 - Clonshaugh Ind. Est.	Dublin 5	County Dublin
Baldoyle Industrial Estate	Dublin 13	County Dublin
Dubl 12 - Ballymount Ind. Est.	Dublin 12	County Dublin
Clondalkin Industrial Estate	Clondalkin	County Dublin
Cherry Orchard Ind. Est.	Dublin 10	County Dublin
Santry Ave Ind. Est.	Dublin 9	County Dublin
Portumna Business Park	Portumna	County Galway
Loughrea B&T Park	Loughrea/Tynagh	County Galway
Gort Business Park 2	Gort/Kinvara	County Galway
Ballybrit Business Park Lower	Galway	County Galway
Mervue B&T Park	Galway	County Galway
Athenry Business Park	Athenry	County Galway
Gortamullen Estate	Kenmare	County Kerry
Reenard Estate	Cahersiveen	County Kerry
Meilita Road	Kildare	County Kildare
Monread Road	Naas	County Kildare
Kildare Town	Kildare	County Kildare
Castledermot	Castledermot	County Kildare
Townpark	Athy	County Kildare
Rathcronan	Ballinalee	County Longford
Coes Rd - Dundalk	Dundalk	County Louth
Ballinrobe Business Park	Ballinrobe	County Mayo
Charlestown Industrial Park	Charlestown	County Mayo
Castlebar Industrial Park	Castlebar	County Mayo
Ashbourne	Ashbourne	County Meath
Ballybay	Ballybay	County Monaghan
Edenderry Industrial Estate	Edenderry	County Offaly
Boyle Industrial Estate	Boyle	County Roscommon
Racecourse Road	Roscommon	County Roscommon
Castlerea Business Park	Castlerea	County Roscommon
Athlone Bunnavally	Athlone (Environs)	County Roscommon
Redmonstown	Clonmel	County Tipperary
Gurtnafleur	Clonmel	County Tipperary
Cashel	Cashel	County Tipperary
Spafield	Cashel	County Tipperary
Tallow	Tallow	County Waterford
Clogheran	Dungarvan	County Waterford
Cappoquin	Cappoquin	County Waterford
Gorey	Gorey	County Wexford
Arklow Cemetry Road,	Arklow	County Wicklow
Lisnenan Industrial Park	Ballybofey, Lisnenan	County Donegal
Ballinamore	Willowfield Road, Ballinamore	County Leitrim

IDA Ireland Site Visits

Ceisteanna (296)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

296. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of IDA site visits to a location (details supplied) in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [52825/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

IDA Ireland continues to highlight the benefits of expanding or locating in all counties of Ireland to its client base. It is important to remember, however, that the final decision as to where to invest always rests with the company concerned. It is also the case that site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as almost 70% of all new foreign direct investment comes from existing IDA Ireland client companies.

Data on IDA Ireland site visits is collated on a county-by-county basis. Information on site visits to particular locations is therefore unavailable.

The trend for site visits across County Cork remains positive. In 2017, Cork hosted 51 site visits and as of the third quarter of 2018 there have been 48 site visits by IDA client companies.

The table below outlines the number of site visits by IDA client companies to County Cork from 2011 to Q3 2018.

County	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	Q1 2018	Q2 2018	Q3 2018
Cork	27	28	31	30	48	49	51	10	14	21

Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement Reports

Ceisteanna (297)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

297. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if the full ODCE report into the collapse of the trial of a person (details supplied) will be published; and if consideration has been given to publishing the report if legislation pertaining to same was changed. [52826/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

The advice of the Attorney General was sought on publication of the Report of the Director of Corporate Enforcement prepared under section 955(1)(a) of the Companies Act 2014.

Because of section 956 of the Companies Act 2014 I, as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, am prohibited from publishing reports prepared pursuant to Section 955 of the Act.

The Companies Act 2014 contains strict confidentiality obligations on information in the possession of the Director. There is a public interest in ensuring that ongoing and future investigations are not compromised by the disclosure of details of an individual investigation and the investigative process itself.

However, while it is not possible to publish the report itself, the account of the investigative shortcomings identified by Judge Aylmer was published on 4 December 2018 on the website of my Department. The purpose of publishing the account is to understand the factors that led to such investigative shortcomings and to take appropriate steps to address them.

These steps include ongoing reform within the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, including the establishment, as announced by Government in November 2017, of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement as an agency, to provide it with greater autonomy in relation to staffing resources and ensure it is better equipped to investigate increasingly complex breaches of company law.

On 4 December 2018 Government approved the publication of the draft legislation to establish the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement as a stand-alone agency to be called the Corporate Enforcement Authority. Section 955 was considered in the drafting process and the General Scheme of the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2018 contains a new provision to replace the current section 955. Ultimately, it will be a matter for the Oireachtas to consider the legislation in this regard.

Brexit Supports

Ceisteanna (298)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

298. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of Brexit readiness vouchers from InterTradeIreland that have been availed of since being established on a county basis, in tabular form; and the value of such vouchers. [52827/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

One of the principal means through which InterTrade Ireland (ITI) is assisting businesses in preparing for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union is the body’s Brexit Advisory Service. Established in May 2017, it provides advice for SMEs to help them navigate any changes in the cross-border trading environment that may arise. As part of the service, ITI offers a "Start to Plan" voucher, worth up to €2250, which helps companies to get professional advice on how best to plan and prepare for Brexit. To date, over 600 such vouchers have been approved for companies. A breakdown by county level is set out below.

County	Vouchers Approved	Total Value of Vouchers (Euro)
Antrim	80	180,000
Armagh	52	117,000
Carlow	0	-
Cavan	24	54,000
Clare	5	11,250
Cork	22	49,500
Derry	16	36,000
Donegal	20	45,000
Down	79	177,750
Dublin	82	184,500
Fermanagh	19	42,750
Galway	18	40,500
Kerry	3	6,750
Kildare	6	13,500
Kilkenny	6	13,500
Laois	5	11,250
Leitrim	2	4,500
Limerick	3	6,750
Longford	3	6,750
Louth	20	45,000
Mayo	8	18,000
Meath	18	40,500
Monaghan	24	54,000
Offaly	5	11,250
Roscommon	0	-
Sligo	6	13,500
Tipperary	15	33,750
Tyrone	78	175,500
Waterford	1	2,250
Westmeath	7	15,750
Wexford	11	24,750
Wicklow	7	15,750
Total	645	1,451,250

Departmental Funding

Ceisteanna (299, 300, 301)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

299. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of applications made under the disruptive technologies innovation fund to date, by county, in tabular form; the number of successful and unsuccessful project applications for funding; the details of each successful project by county that has been approved for funding; the value of funding approved for each such project; when successful applicants will receive funding in 2019; the amount allocated to the fund in 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52829/18]

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

300. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the annual breakdown in funding allocated in each of the years 2019 to 2021, in tabular form, following the confirmation that €75 million in funding has been approved for successful projects to 2021 under the first tranche of the disruptive technologies innovation fund; and when the second tranche will open for applications in 2019. [52830/18]

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

301. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the details of the requirement for projects to have matching funding under the disruptive technologies innovation fund. [52831/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

I propose to take Questions Nos. 299 to 301, inclusive, together.

My Department launched the first call of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund on 29 June 2018 and Expressions of Interest were sought by the deadline of 3pm on Friday, 17 August 2018. Information on the Fund and how to apply was provided by my Department with the support of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland. Expressions of Interest were sought for funding commencing in 2019.

My Department received 307 Expressions of Interest for this Call for funding. However, 6 Expressions of Interest were received after the deadline and as such were deemed ineligible. Decisions on the 301 remaining Expressions of Interest received were made in September 2018 and were communicated to the lead partners of all consortia. Only those applications that met all of the eligibility criteria and met the minimum threshold of the selection criteria were invited to submit a full application. However, this does not prohibit those applicants from applying for funding in future calls under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).

In total, 45 consortia were invited to submit a full application to be received by 12.00 noon on 5th November. 44 consortia submitted applications ahead of this deadline. One application was received after the deadline of 12 noon on 5 November 2018 and that application was deemed ineligible.

From early November 2018, a panel of international experts has assessed the 44 detailed applications and interviewed each consortium that submitted a valid application. On completion of this evaluation, 27 projects were deemed to have met the minimum threshold of the selection criteria. The remaining 17 applications were deemed to have failed at least one of the selection criteria and as such were deemed ineligible to progress to funding.

In summary, 301 valid Expressions of Interest were received of which 45 were invited to full application. 44 valid applications were received of which 27 have been deemed fundable following assessment by a panel of international experts. All 27 fundable projects have been approved in principle for funding.

Enterprise Ireland is supporting my Department in the administration and post-award management of the projects being funded. In line with standard practice in Enterprise Ireland, the 27 approved projects will be subject to further scrutiny and detailed grant conditions will be communicated by Enterprise Ireland in formal “letters of offer”. It is anticipated that the earliest letters of offer would issue early in 2019.

In terms of Exchequer funding available, there is €20m available in 2019, €30m in 2020, €40m in 2021 and €90m in 2022 (i.e., a total of €180m between 2019 and 2022). The first tranche of 27 projects announced in December 2018 involve a maximum exchequer commitment of €78m. This assumes that each project proceeds as planned and that the required enterprise co-funding is put in place. Enterprise partners in each consortium will claim DTIF funding retrospectively following certification by Enterprise Ireland of work completed.

In terms of co-funding, the following were the requirements set down for the first Call:

- Enterprise partners in a consortium can be funded to max of 50% of their costs from the DTIF;

- Research Performing Organisations (RPOs – including universities and colleges) can be funded up to 100% of their costs;

- RPOs cannot account for more than two-thirds of the DTIF (exchequer) funding in any project.

Public bodies (other than eligible RPOs) are also allowed to participate as part of a consortium but are required to be self-financed for this first call under the DTIF and as such will not receive funding.

In terms of county location, my Department received over 300 Expressions of Interest with multiple partners ranging from 2 to 15 partners and for most of the 27 successful projects, partners within each consortium are based in different locations across the country. No regional criteria were included in the first Call and no regional analysis has been undertaken or is available from the Expressions of Interest received. The table below shows the 27 fundable projects and the locations of the enterprise partners in each consortium. This is the only regional analysis available at this point.

Table 1: Projects Approved for Funding and Enterprise Locations

Projects approved for €5 to 10 million in DTIF funding over the 3 years to 2021:

Title	Consortium Members	Enterprise Partner Locations	Maximum Award (subject to contract negotiation)
A Disruptive Gene Therapy Platform, Replacing Viruses in the Treatment of Genetic Conditions	Amryt Pharma, Curran Scientific Ltd, UCD, DEBRA Ireland	Amryt – DublinCurran – Limerick	€8.4m
HOLISTICS - Holistic Human Sensing for Health, Aging and Wellness	Tyndall National Institute, DABL, PMD Solutions, De Royal, Setanta, UCC Lero, Sanmina, Design Partners, VRAI, Henkel, ADI, HRB CRF-C, UCC Insight	DABL - DublinPMD Solutions- CorkDe Royal - DublinSanmina Design Partners – CorkHenkel – DublinVRAI – DublinAnalog Devices – Limerick	€7.4m
AuriGen Solution for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation	Aurigen Medical Ltd, UCC/Tyndall, NUIG (TMD LAB)	Galway	€5.9m
‘The Future of Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Combining Tissue Responsive Probes, AI and Machine Learning to Transform Medical Care’	RCSI, Deciphex, IBM Research, UCD	Dublin	€5.7m
Therapeutic enzymes as a treatment for sepsis and other immune disorder diseases	Cala Medical, Curran Scientific, UL	Limerick	€5.0m

Projects approved for €3 to 5 million in DTIF funding over the 3 years to 2021:

Title	Consortium Members	Enterprise Partner Locations	Maximum Award (subject to contract negotiation)
Towards safe and effective off the shelf cellular therapy for cancer	Onkimmune, Janssen, NUIG	Onkimmune – KildareJanssen - Dublin	€4.3m
Photonics Manufacturing Pilot Line	Tyndall National Institute, Ficontec, MBRYONICS, Eblana Photonics, Sanmina Ireland, Faztech	MBryonics – GalwayEblana Photonics – DublinSanmina -Ireland – CorkFaztech - Dublin	€4.1m
Microfluidic Gene Transfection Cell Analysis and Sorting Platform (GTCASP)	Cellix Ltd, TCD Physics, TCD Med, NUIG	Dublin	€3.4m

Projects approved for €1 to 3 million in DTIF funding over the 3 years to 2021:

Title	Consortium Members	Enterprise Partner Locations	Maximum Award (subject to contract negotiation)
Cooperative Energy Trading System (CENTS)	International Energy Research Centre, MPower, MSemicon, Templederry Renewable Energy Supply, UCC, NUIG, DIT	Templederry – TipperaryMSemicon - Dublin	€3.0m
Nex	Davra Networks, DANALTO, INTEL, DCU	Davra – DublinDanalto – DublinIntel – Kildare	€3.0m
ARDENT II	Neurent Medical Ltd, NUIG	Galway	€2.8m
Medical Imaging Ireland	IBM Ireland, Nova Leah, UCD, DKIT, Davra Networks Ltd	IBM – DublinNova Leah – LouthDavra - Dublin	€2.2m
ArtEngine 2.0: Bringing Automated, AI-Driven 3D World Creation to Market	Artomatix, Black Shamrock, WarDucks, Keywords	Dublin	€2.0m
HYDRO-fish: Combining targeted nutraceuticals and traceability technology for a smarter and sustainable Irish fish aquaculture industry	NUIG, Bio-Marine Ingredients Ireland, Teagasc, Marine Institute	Monaghan	€2.0m
BioHealx	Signum Surgical Ltd, Anecto Ltd	Galway	€1.9m
E-BAMBI - Enhanced Biocompatibility of Additively Manufactured Biomedical Implants for Improved Clinical Outcomes	SEAM Research Centre, Schivo Medical, Graph Treatments Ltd, STRYKER, DIT	Schivo Medical – WaterfordGraph Treatments – DublinStryker – Cork/Limerick	€1.9m
High throughput microfluidic drug screening platform	HookeBio Ltd, CIT, CAPPA, NUIG	Limerick	€1.9m
Optimised commercial-scale cultivation of protein-rich biomass from Palmaria palmata for the generation of health enhancing plant based proteinaceous ingredients.	Allihies Seafood, Carbery, UL	Cork	€1.8m
Future Software Systems Architectures	DCU & Lero, FOURTHEOREM, FINEOS	Fourtheorem – CorkFineos – Dublin	€1.6m
Irish Lasers for the Internet of the Future (iLife)	Pilot Photonics, DCU and TCD	Dublin	€1.6m
Connected Medical Device Cybersecurity Transparency	Nova Leah, DKIT	Louth	€1.5m
Creating the Bionic Man: Development of a “neural training suit” to assist individuals with sensorimotor impairments.	TCD, Biomedical Research	Dublin	€1.5m
Beyond Food Labelling	IdentiGEN, UCD	Dublin	€1.4m
Advanced Environmental Decision Support System for Coastal Areas	Techworks Marine Ltd. DCU	Dublin	€1.1m
Smart-Cardio – A Paradigm shift in Cardiac Arrhythmia Treatment	Atrian Medical Ltd, NUIG	Galway	€1.1m
DEFINE-AM – Disruptive Finishing using Electrochemical machining for Additive Manufacturing	Blueacre Technology, TCD	Louth	€1.0m
Blockchain in the Technology Product Supply Chain	Exertis Supply Chain Services, Sonalake, UCD (CeADAR)	Dublin	€1.0m

Skills Development

Ceisteanna (302)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

302. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the Digital Transformation: Assessing the Impact of Digitalisation on Ireland’s Workforce study, by the expert group on future skills needs; her plans to implement proposals set out on the adoption of digital technologies in each of the years 2018 to 2023; and the timetable for implementation for such actions. [52832/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

I welcome the publication of the ‘Digital Transformation: Assessing the Impact of Digitalisation on Ireland’s Workforce’ study as published by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) on December 7th 2018. The study is a welcome and important contribution to our understanding of digitalisation and its growing influence on Ireland’s economy. The study provides key insights on the impacts that the adoption of digital technologies will have on workers in Ireland by sector, occupation and region and provides policy-makers with a good overview of the changes that lie ahead.

The study presents five key focus areas for Ireland moving forward - vision, collaboration, data, technology and skills. The study finds that there are many policies and initiatives underway under each of these headings and as a result, Ireland has a solid infrastructure in place to deal with the opportunities and challenges arising from the adoption of digital technologies. This is evidenced in the chart below which details the work underway both by my Department and across the Government system to address the five key areas as outlined in the report. The study has found that the progression and development of these policies and initiatives will ensure that Ireland is prepared for and responding to the impacts resulting from the increased adoption of digital technologies.

Current Policies and Initiatives in Place Addressing ‘Digital Transformation’s Five Key Areas of Focus

Key Areas	Policies and Initiatives Addressing Areas
Vision	National Digital Strategy Innovation 2020
Collaboration	R&D Technology Centres/GatewaysInnovation PartnershipsSFI Industry Fellowships
Data	National Data Infrastructure
Technology	Disruptive Technologies Innovation FundIndustry 4.0 Strategy
Skills	National Skills Strategy 2025ICT Action PlanNational Digital Strategy for SchoolsSkills for Growth InitiativeSpotlight on SkillsSkillnet IrelandSpringboard+EXPLORE

In addition to this, my Department and the Department of An Taoiseach are leading on the development of Future Jobs Ireland which will be launched early next year. To ensure Ireland’s economy is well positioned to adapt and prosper in the future, Future Jobs Ireland will provide a new economic pathway for Ireland based on the following key pillars:

- improving productivity, particularly in Irish Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

- innovation and technological change

- enhancing skills and developing and attracting talent

- increasing participation in the labour force

- transitioning to a low carbon economy

In addressing these areas, Future Jobs Ireland aims to drive Ireland’s development as a resilient, innovative and globally connected economy that is capable of coping with the technological and transformational changes that may arise in the coming years.

Regional Action Plan for Jobs

Ceisteanna (303)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

303. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when the final refreshed plan for each regional action plan for jobs will be completed and published in tabular form. [52833/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

Since becoming Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, I have made jobs and enterprise in the regions my top priority.

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 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.

In April this year, I asked all the Regional Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committees to lead a process to refresh and refocus all of the Regional Plans to ensure their relevance and impact out to 2020. This will ensure that the Plans are more strategically focused, that they can be robust to address the challenges we face, including Brexit, and that they continue to deliver jobs across the country.

Each of the Regional Implementation Committees is currently finalising their draft refreshed Plan which will be focused around a number of strategic objectives with accompanying actions to be implemented in the period to 2020. There will be nine separate Plans: North-East, North-West, Midlands, West, Mid-West, South-West, South-East, Mid-East, and Dublin. The refreshed Plans are targeted for publication during Quarter 1, 2019 on dates yet to be arranged.

Skills Shortages

Ceisteanna (304)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

304. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if professional roles (details supplied) will be added to the critical skills work permit lists in order to meet the extreme skills shortages in the construction sector; and the steps being taken to increase the speed at which work permits are being issued. [52844/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

The employment permits system is managed through the operation of the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List (HSEOL) and the Ineligible Categories of Employment List (ICEL). These occupations lists are reviewed twice yearly to keep pace with rapid labour market changes and to be proactively identifying and addressing shortages as they arise.

In order to have an occupation considered for addition to the HSEOL, or removed from the ICEL, there would need to be a clear demonstration of current recruitment difficulties and shortages across the EEA that the difficulties are not as a result of other factors such as salary, employment conditions or lack of upskilling opportunities. Organisations in the sector would need to provide the necessary data to substantiate their claims. A detailed evidence-based case requesting the addition of an occupation to the highly skilled list would then need to be put forward by the relevant lead Department for the sector, to my Department for review and consideration.

My Department has commenced the second 2018 review of the lists of occupations for employment permits with a public call for submissions from stakeholders and interest groups requesting changes to the lists. The closing date for receipt of submissions was Friday 2nd November 2018. Submissions have been received in respect of a range of occupations including many from the construction sector, and those submissions and other relevant research and data are now being examined.

A detailed submission made to my Department by the Construction Industry Federation is under active consideration as part of this process, in consultation with officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government who also sit on the Interdepartmental Group on Economic Migration. I have also met with CIF Representatives recently to discuss the labour and skills challenges in the sector and engagement is ongoing with my officials. Any proposed changes to either the Highly skilled or Ineligible lists, will be brought to me by my officials early in 2019.

In light of the changing economy and as we continue towards near full employment, it is imperative that the employment permits system is correctly oriented to meet the State’s labour market needs. To that end, I recently published a report reviewing the economic migration policies underpinning the current employment permits system to ensure our policies are fully supportive of Ireland’s labour market needs, be they skills or labour shortages in certain sectors. The report confirms that our employment permits system is largely robust with some adjustment required to ensure continued responsiveness, setting out recommendations to be addressed over the short, medium and long term that will ensure that our employment permits system will play its part in supporting Ireland's labour market needs.

The Employment Permits section has experienced high levels of demand for employment permits so far this year which has contributed to increased processing times for applications. In response to these delays a number of operational changes, streamlined processes and ICT solutions have been implemented. Additional staffing resources have also been assigned to the section and a fast track training programme has been devised. As a result of the implementation of these changes, processing times are now reducing.

Departmental Staff Data

Ceisteanna (305)

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

305. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons by Civil Service grade working in the employment permits section of her Department in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and the annual funding allocation to the employment permits section in 2019. [52845/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

In answer to the question posed by the Deputy the number of persons by civil service grade working in the Employment Permits Section of my Department in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018 is set out below in tabular form.

	To date	2018	End	2017	End	2016	End	2015	End	2014
Grade	Head Count	*FTE	Head Count	*FTE	Head Count	*FTE	Head Count	*FTE	Head Count	*FTE
Principal Officer	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1
AP	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
HEO	3	2.5	3	2.5	2	1.9	3	2.5	2	1.5
EO	8	7.5	9	8	5	5	5	5	4	4
SO**	0	0	0	0	4	3	3	2	4	3
CO	24 (+2***)	24.1	23	21.3	17	16.8	12	11.6	14	13.1
Total	36 (+2***)	36.1	37	33.8	29	27.7	25	23.1	26	23.6

* Full time equivalent

** The Staff Officer grade was amalgamated with the Executive Officer in January 2017.

*** Vacancies which will be filled on 7th January 2019.

Staffing resources are an ongoing priority to ensure my Department’s continued ability to facilitate the wide mission and volume of work in a range of challenging areas. This will continue with ongoing day-to-day review of the appropriate staffing across my Department in response to known and priority areas.

The demand for Employment Permits has increased significantly as the economy has improved and the unemployment rate has decreased. There are currently two recent vacancies in Employment Permits which will be filled in early January 2019. In addition, through the Workforce Planning Process and taking into consideration the current increase in applications and further increases forecast for 2019, the requirement for a further three Clerical Officer posts has been identified to address the increase in applications. This will forecast the total Clerical Officer complement to 29 and the overall staff number to 41 during 2019. My Department is in the process of recruiting these three additional Clerical Officers from the Public Appointments Service. The staffing levels will continue to be reviewed regularly throughout 2019.

The Employment Permits section is funded through the Administration budget for the Department. The overall Administration budget for 2019 has been agreed at €38.035 million. I have estimated that the Employment Permit section will require approximately €1.6 million in funding in 2019 (this would include all pay and non-pay costs).

IDA Ireland Portfolio

Ceisteanna (306)

Charlie McConalogue

Ceist:

306. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the details regarding IDA client companies (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52869/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

IDA Ireland continues to highlight the benefits of expanding or locating in all of our regions, including County Donegal. There are over 122,000 people employed across 649 firms in IDA client companies located outside of Dublin, with 45% of all new foreign direct investment (FDI) jobs created in 2017 based in regional locations.

There has been a steady and positive increase in employment numbers in IDA Ireland client companies in Donegal over the past number of years. The County has experienced a 52% increase in FDI-driven employment since 2012, with job numbers in the Agency's client firms there increasing from 2,223 in 2012 to 3,389 at the end of last year. This compares very favourably to the national average increase of 31% in FDI employment across that same period. In 2017 alone, the number of IDA supported jobs in Donegal increased by 11%, with the County now home to 12 IDA companies including SITA, Optibelt and Pramerica.

While progress has been made in helping to generate new economic opportunities in Donegal, the Government remains determined to achieve more. That is why work is continuing to unlock further the economic potential in the County. The IDA remains pivotal to this and the Agency is engaging with its clients and with other enterprise agencies to create jobs and source new investment for Donegal.

The table below provides details on the IDA client companies based in Donegal, including the year they located in the County and their current employment ranges. The IDA does not release specific employment numbers by company and year on account of client and commercial sensitivity.

Company Name	County	Sector	2017 Employment Range
ABBOTT IRELAND DIABETES CARE	Donegal	Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems	201-250
ASSET INTERTECH	Donegal	IT & Computer Activities	1-50
CLADDAGH RESOURCES LTD	Donegal	IT & Computer Activities	1-50
KEYEDIN	Donegal	Computer Consultancy Services	1-50
KIRCHHOFF IRELAND LTD	Donegal	Automotive Pressed Parts and Assemblies	51-100
OPTIBELT URETHANE BELTING LTD (A&M BELTING)	Donegal	Industrial Drive Belts	1-50
PHILLIPS MEDISIZE IRELAND LTD (MOLEX)	Donegal	Medical, diagnostic and pharma disposable devices	301-350
PRAMERICA SYSTEMS OF IRELAND LTD	Donegal	Software development and customer support	1001-1500
SITA PTS	Donegal	Airline IT and Comms Services	101-150
OPTUM (UNITEDHEALTH GROUP )	Donegal	Claims Adjudication and Back Office Administration	501-1000
VERINT SYSTEMS	Donegal	Enterprise Software	1-50
ZEUS INDUSTRIAL IRELAND	Donegal	Extrusion Injection Moulded Tubing	151-200

IDA Ireland Funding

Ceisteanna (307)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

307. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the funding awarded to companies by the IDA in 2017 and to date in 2018, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52934/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

As Minister, my objective is to create the best possible environment for enterprise, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment. Ireland continues to perform very strongly in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and encouraging further investment from multinational companies is a major priority of mine. There are now over 210,000 people employed in IDA Ireland client companies here, the highest in the State's history.

However, we must recognise that global competition for FDI is increasing all the time, and we must therefore work harder than ever to retain and promote our competitive advantages and to secure new investment projects. That means improving, if possible, on our already compelling and attractive offering for multinationals to invest here. The IDA is authorised by my Department to provide a range of financial supports in the form of employment, capital, research and development, environmental and training grants. These grants are an important means of encouraging companies to invest in Ireland, particularly in regional locations.

The table below provides a breakdown of grants paid by IDA Ireland to its client companies between 2013 and 2017. The figure provided for Dublin includes payments to the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT). Grant payment figures are released on an annual basis and I have been informed by the IDA that information on the total of grants paid to client companies in 2018 will be made available once they have been audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

It is important to note that grants paid in a particular year are not necessarily linked to either the investments won or the jobs created in that 12-month period. Grants are generally drawn down over the lifetime of a project which is normally over a period of three to five years. Some investments which result in job creation may not be grant aided and some well-established firms may no longer be receiving grant payments.

County	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	TOTAL
Carlow	€5,093,152	€72,000	€2,027,393	€1,080,631	€82,725	€8,355,901
Cavan	€0	€0	€120,622	€418,271	€64,180	€603,073
Clare	€0	€3,172,202	€4,463,951	€3,023,557	€2,521,600	€13,181,310
Cork	€12,380,130	€18,353,580	€13,260,876	€13,220,973	€20,843,403	€78,058,962
Donegal	€3,071,490	€1,889,800	€1,697,150	€685,500	€1,602,200	€8,946,140
Dublin	€24,803,491	€19,952,938	€19,826,741	€20,136,706	€19,949,601	€104,669,477
Galway	€17,277,141	€8,422,227	€18,357,383	€13,611,022	€7,681,690	€65,349,463
Kerry	€584,145	€16,800	€3,220,609	€1,024,766	€2,357,952	€7,204,272
Kildare	€4,690,248	€728,457	€5,798,570	€3,573,544	€2,096,053	€16,886,872
Kilkenny	€0	€0	€350,000	€440,000	€156,000	€946,000
Laois	€0	€25,000	€75,000	€5,000	€24,500	€129,500
Leitrim	€0	€0	€0	€0	€0	€0
Limerick	€4,434,483	€15,374,032	€10,596,531	€13,589,484	€7,036,757	€51,031,287
Longford	€0	€0	€397,750	€169,542	€3,297,973	€3,865,265
Louth	€2,935,800	€3,672,307	€993,000	€3,031,765	€924,060	€11,556,932
Mayo	€4,180,577	€6,376,253	€2,406,422	€1,498,389	€3,184,082	€17,645,723
Meath	€1,540,920	€0	€300,000	€0	€0	€1,840,920
Monaghan	€0	€58,022	€200,000	€200,000	€0	€458,022
Offaly	€150,042	€324,662	€120,000	€355,540	€960,089	€1,910,333
Roscommon	€110,000	€0	€733,000	€0	€185,500	€1,028,500
Sligo	€796,831	€750,892	€4,229,218	€922,814	€2,875,340	€9,575,095
Tipperary	€2,729,055	€3,654,309	€2,939,811	€2,580,100	€3,428,740	€15,332,015
Waterford	€1,938,976	€1,867,329	€1,341,864	€10,914,081	€7,794,598	€23,856,848
Westmeath	€272,624	€1,948,923	€2,513,508	€1,768,687	€2,078,588	€8,582,330
Wexford	€934,569	€783,794	€1,534,136	€568,307	€1,473,521	€5,294,327
Wicklow	€27,623	€43,738	€234,048	€159,372	€321,734	€786,515
TOTAL	€87,951,297	€87,487,265	€97,737,583	€92,978,051	€90,940,886	€457,095,082

Enterprise Ireland Funding

Ceisteanna (308)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

308. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding awarded to companies by Enterprise Ireland in 2017 and to date in 2018, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52935/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

As we move towards 2020, Enterprise Ireland’s (EI’s) focus is to help client companies to build on the strength of their 2017 performance by supporting them to innovate, increase competitiveness, and diversify their global footprint. On an annual basis EI works with approximately 5,000 manufacturing and internationally traded services companies through its network of 10 domestic and 33 international offices. This network gives client companies direct access to a number of supports including in-market expertise, a market research centre, technologists, lean benchmarking and the opportunity to undertake a company diagnostic with the agency’s development advisers.

The payment figures below include all payments made directly to companies. It excludes payments to infrastructural clients (such as third-level institutions), Community Enterprise Centres, Shannon Free Zone transfer companies, and payments for Innovation Partnerships and Innovation Vouchers.

Table of Payments Made by EI to Client Companies in 2017 and 2018 (ytd)

Payment €	2018	2017	Grand Total
Carlow	€856,501	€1,118,817	€1,975,318
Cavan	€3,531,990	€2,509,330	€6,041,320
Clare	€1,357,292	€3,490,451	€4,847,742
Cork City	€2,652,459	€2,006,335	€4,658,794
Cork County	€4,336,095	€7,624,518	€11,960,613
Donegal	€1,285,134	€1,738,720	€3,023,854
Dublin City	€14,575,959	€20,583,702	€35,159,661
Dublin Fingal	€4,368,473	€3,782,433	€8,150,907
Dublin South County	€4,249,689	€4,819,628	€9,069,317
Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown	€6,231,241	€4,927,924	€11,159,165
Galway	€5,060,110	€4,678,283	€9,738,393
Kerry	€1,438,147	€2,683,363	€4,121,510
Kildare	€3,129,018	€3,567,276	€6,696,295
Kilkenny	€2,475,989	€2,943,649	€5,419,638
Laois	€416,321	€345,759	€762,079
Leitrim	€350,385	€142,319	€492,704
Limerick	€4,260,670	€3,475,348	€7,736,018
Longford	€3,983,556	€1,076,148	€5,059,704
Louth	€2,844,244	€4,063,517	€6,907,760
Mayo	€791,108	€5,021,555	€5,812,663
Meath	€961,701	€1,177,941	€2,139,641
Monaghan	€1,935,083	€7,191,630	€9,126,712
Offaly	€1,031,220	€1,408,973	€2,440,192
Roscommon	€121,099	€1,524,042	€1,645,142
Sligo	€738,789	€981,489	€1,720,278
Tipperary North	€746,972	€1,137,852	€1,884,825
Tipperary South	€475,957	€1,369,757	€1,845,714
Waterford	€1,582,163	€1,269,362	€2,851,525
Westmeath	€1,203,759	€1,162,769	€2,366,529
Wexford	€4,553,696	€2,136,312	€6,690,008
Wicklow	€3,873,812	€1,740,122	€5,613,934
Grand Total	€85,420,649	€101,701,341	€187,117,955

InterTradeIreland Funding

Ceisteanna (309)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

309. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the funding awarded to companies by InterTradeIreland in 2017 and to date in 2018, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52936/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

InterTradeIreland (ITI) supports businesses - through a range of programmes and initiatives - to take advantage of North/South trading and commercial opportunities, thereby helping to drive growth and create jobs. ITI is also undertaking significant work, through its Brexit Advisory Service, to assist businesses in preparing for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

The table below sets out the total amount of direct financial support provided by ITI to SMEs on a county basis. It does not include businesses who avail of information and capability building supports through digital services, events and workshops.

County	Total €
Antrim	1,359,644
Armagh	432,520
Carlow	119,234
Cavan	338,376
Clare	246,803
Cork	765,685
Derry	384,633
Donegal	601,989
Down	754,567
Dublin	1,531,772
Fermanagh	127,742
Galway	593,958
Kerry	102,769
Kildare	552,595
Kilkenny	125,688
Laois	146,550
Leitrim	102,355
Limerick	180,071
Longford	1,000
Louth	407,635
Mayo	112,777
Meath	275,312
Monaghan	343,905
Offaly	111,955
Roscommon	5,555
Sligo	240,921
Tipperary	212,466
Tyrone	872,880
Waterford	172,432
Westmeath	29,860
Wexford	101,782
Wicklow	292,652
Total	11,648,083

Departmental Data

Ceisteanna (310)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

310. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department holds research, data or reports on the benefits or challenges a united Ireland would bring; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52937/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

My Department does not hold any research, data or reports on the benefits or challenges of a united Ireland.

Over the past year, and currently, my Department is focused on undertaking Brexit-related analysis to ensure that we continue to provide the supports required by Irish based enterprises as they navigate the uncertainties and challenges posed by Brexit. For example, we have undertaken research in relation to economic impacts, commissioned from Copenhagen Economics, implications arising for skills in a post Brexit context, firm level insights into the implications at a sector specific level, implications for imports as well as surveying SMEs in relation to Brexit. Intertrade Ireland also undertook research on the potential impact of WTO tariffs, and on cross border trade and supply chain linkages supported by my Department. This ongoing analyses serves to inform policy in an evolving environment so that we meet the needs of businesses throughout the country, and help to inform ongoing negotiations. Our agencies continue to work closely with companies to tailor supports to meet their needs, and to capture opportunities to attract mobile investment.

Departmental Agencies Staff Data

Ceisteanna (311)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

311. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff at each agency or office under the aegis of her Department in 2016, 2017 and to date 2018; the number of staff who left each office or agency in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52938/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

The number of staff in each of the Offices and Agencies under the aegis of my Department, together with the number of staff that left each Agency and Office for the years 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 are listed in the table below.

Office or Agency	Year	No of Staff	No of leavers
Companies Registration Office and Registry of Friendly Societies	2016	122	9
	2017	121	8
	2018	119	6
Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement	2016	35	4
	2017	37	2
	2018	40	1
Labour Court	2016	29	1
	2017	32	1
	2018	34	1
Patents Office	2016	26	2
	2017	27	1
	2018	26	1
Workplace Relations Commission	2016	162	4
	2017	173	6
	2018	184	9
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission	2016	89	14
	2017	90	12
	2018	102	8
Enterprise Ireland	2016	532	34.5
	2017	564	25.5
	2018	583.5	30
Health and Safety Authority	2016	158.6	11
	2017	162.1	8
	2018	173.5	7
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority	2016	20	2
	2017	24	3
	2018	29	2
IDA	2016	268	13
	2017	305	26
	2018	294	29
National Standards Authority of Ireland	2016	128	6
	2017	137	6
	2018	147	3
Personal Injuries Assessment Board	2016	80	1
	2017	82	4
	2018	78	2
Science Foundation Ireland	2016	47	6
	2017	58	6
	2018	59	9

Departmental Staff Data

Ceisteanna (312)

Maurice Quinlivan

Ceist:

312. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff employed in her Department in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of staff who left in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52939/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

Staffing resources are an ongoing priority to ensure my Department’s continued ability to facilitate the wide mission and volume of work in a range of challenging policy areas. This will continue with ongoing day-to-day review of the appropriate staffing mix across my Department in response to known and probable priority areas.

My Department has seen a careful increase in overall staffing numbers over the past three years. This has been due to: the filling of critical vacancies that existed; significant priorities emerging from environmental challenges, such as Brexit, and; new bodies of work, for example the Digital Single Market - impacting on the resourcing needs of the Department.

In this regard, the Department operates a robust workforce plan, on a three-year rolling basis, and liaises directly with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and Top-Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) for the filling of posts to address these new demands.

The numbers serving and leavers at the end of 2016, 2017, and to date 2018 are set out in tabular form below:

	*No. of Staff serving	**No. of staff who left Department
2016 (end year)	849	62
2017 (end year)	869	72
2018 (to date)	903	61

* Refers to number of people, not FTE’s (i.e. Full-Time Equivalents).

** Types of exits include retirements, resignations, dismissals, deceased staff, transfers out on promotion, career breaks and secondments.