Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 February 2023
124. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment how the new White Paper on Enterprise will help businesses in the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9095/23]
View answerA central component of the White Paper on Enterprise is to support balanced regional economic and enterprise development. In implementing the White Paper, the enterprise development agencies and Local Enterprise Offices will continue to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem, providing opportunities for communities and businesses across Ireland.
By way of example, through the roll out of a National Clustering Programme a key deliverable under the White Paper, we will maximise the scale, impact and international visibility of Irish clusters and cluster organisations while also leveraging the benefits of proximity and co-location to boost regional and rural economic development outcomes including in the Border region.
The ambition set out in the White Paper is to enable a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and regionally-balanced economy made up of a diversified mix of leading global companies, international competitive Irish enterprise and thriving local businesses. My Department has made available to date over €126 million in regional enterprise funding through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, Border Enterprise Development Fund and Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme to assist locally-led regional enterprise development projects.
The Regional Enterprise Plans play a significant role in strengthening the enterprise ecosystem right across Ireland. The North-East and North-West Regional Enterprise Plans in particular play a central role in supporting the delivery of balanced regional enterprise development in both regions by identifying growth opportunities, recognising vulnerabilities, and in response, strengthening the regional enterprise ecosystem to enable job creation.
The Border Enterprise Development Fund, launched in 2020, recognises the importance of improving the international competitiveness of enterprises in the Border Region in the context of Brexit and other market challenges. 11 projects secured total funding of €17.4 million under this fund. The BEDF is part of a €28 million economic stimulus package for Border counties and further enhances Brexit supports for smaller businesses supported by the LEOs and drives SME business transformation in the Border region who are challenged by Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department’s Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme was also recently introduced as part of the Government’s programme of assistance for regional enterprise development and assistance to regions facing difficulties as a consequence of Brexit and Covid-19. Last October, 24 projects secured funding of €9.3 million, with funding approved in each region.
The White Paper reaffirms that through the Government’s Shared Island Initiative opportunities for North / South cooperation to enhance the investment proposition of the island as a whole and in border regions in both jurisdictions will continue to be pursued, including on research and innovation, skills, transport connectivity, renewable energy, and the development of sectoral ecosystems.
The implementation of the White Paper on Enterprise will be monitored and assessed against delivery of 15 identified targets covering the seven priority policy objectives. These include regional targets including ensuring that unemployment does not exceed one percentage point of the national unemployment rate in any region, delivering at least half of all new FDI investments from 2021-2024 to outside of Dublin, and for over two thirds of new jobs created in Enterprise Ireland supported firms to be located outside of Dublin.
