Update: Appraisal of Infrastructural Deficiencies – Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation 16th October, 2014

To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which any appraisal has been done to determine the extent to which infrastructure required in the context of job creation is deficient in various regions throughout the country; if any action plan is in place to address such infrastructural deficiencies thereby facilitating a balanced economic recovery countrywide; and if he will make a statement on the matter
 

*    For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 16th October, 2014.
 

Ref No:   39638/14

The availability of competitively priced world class infrastructure (energy, broadband telecoms, transport, waste and water) and related services is critical to support economic growth and job creation.  While Ireland has made significant investment in infrastructure in the past, further investment and improvements are required to ensure that our infrastructure can support economic recovery and job creation. Therefore investing in infrastructure to underpin employment growth has been one of the key priorities of the Action Plan for Jobs since its inception in 2012.

In addition, my Department and its agencies are constantly engaged with relevant infrastructure stakeholders on the particular infrastructure needs required to support enterprise development and job creation. However, given the constraints on Government finances, capital investment in the short term must be highly targeted.  In June 2014, Forfás made a submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s review of capital investment outlining the main capital priorities for the period to 2020 to support enterprise development and job creation.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has completed its review of the public capital programme, in parallel with the comprehensive review of expenditure. The Government’s five year investment strategy will be published before the end of the year. It will focus on infrastructural investment consistent with the Government’s economic and social priorities including the investments that would best support economic recovery and social progress.

Successful enterprise development depends on a well-planned spatial environment, which efficiently delivers the appropriate supporting infrastructures to create competitive and attractive locations for foreign and indigenous business investment. Regions that support strong and dynamic enterprises are crucial to Ireland’s return to overall economic growth and another key priority in the Action Plan for Jobs 2014 is the development of regional enterprise strategies. The objective of the regional enterprise strategies is to enhance synergies between the enterprise agencies and their client companies and build on the competitive strengths of the region to maximise the potential for job creation.