Good morning everyone and thank you for your attendance.
Today we are publishing the first quarterly progress report on the Action Plan for Jobs 2013.
And I am delighted that just this morning, three dynamic, innovative, Irish technology companies have made announcements that will see 101 new jobs created. These companies have been supported by the Government through Enterprise Ireland and they are an example of the kind of strong indigenous companies we want to see creating jobs alongside our multinational success stories.
I am joined by the Tánaiste and Minister Bruton, who will outline some detail in their respective areas in a moment.
As you all know the Government established a rolling multi annual Action Plan for Jobs in order to deal with the biggest unemployment crisis ever faced by this State.
The 2013 plan sets out over 300 ambitious actions to be implemented by all Government Departments and some 46 Agencies.
We are building on the progress made in 2012, which saw 249 actions implemented, to further improve supports for job-creating businesses and remove the barriers to job creation across our economy.
Today’s progress report confirms that Government is delivering on its commitments to date and in turn is delivering real progress in our task of transforming the economy from one based on property speculation to one based on enterprise, exports and innovation.
The first quarter saw a strong performance against target on the very ambitious measures with a completion rate of 96%. 144 of the 150 measures due were completed on time.
Progress
This year’s Action Plan for Jobs includes seven new flagship projects in areas which present new opportunities to support firms, exploit Ireland’s strengths, and stimulate job creation. In tandem the Government appointed six Industry Partners who will assist with the implementation and monitoring of these projects.
We are making good progress on the delivery of these projects.
For example, in the first three months of this year, as part of the “Big Data” disruptive reform, the Government funded the Irish Centre for High-End Computing.
This means that for the next three years we have a dedicated facility to provide high-end computing resources, support, education and training for researchers, along with high performance computing supports to Irish based industry.
As part of the plan to make Ireland a leading location for ICT skills we have:
Provided 2,000 additional places at ICT-graduate level.
Increased by 50% the number of employment permits granted over the coming year in the ICT sector.
And provided for 700 additional graduates from ICT skills conversion Programmes, and 600 additional graduates from Springboard ICT courses.
While we are delivering on the larger-scale projects, we continue the lower-level – but equally necessary – painstaking work to rebuild the enterprise economy:
We have implemented the 10 Point Tax Plan for the SME sector; we are closely monitoring the lending targets for the two pillar banks; and we have facilitated the NPRF’s delivery of a new suite of SME investment funds.
We have revised our legislation to provide a deterrent to late payments in the economy and improve business cash-flow.
We are granting visas free of charge and on an accelerated basis to visitors from abroad attending specific events during The Gathering.
Government’s Job Creation Record
These plans are beginning to have a real effect.
This is encouraging considering the scale of the devastation left by the last Government.
The culmination of Fianna Fail’s property bubble policies was to wipe out 250,000 private jobs across the economy in the three years before their Government collapsed.
Just shy of 7,000 job losses a month. That’s their record.
Our record: we have assisted in the creation of 1,000 private sector jobs a month in the past 15 months.
These figures make it clear the scale of the task before us to rebuild an economy and sustainable labour market.
We are not satisfied with 1,000 new private sector jobs a month. We need to accelerate job creation across the economy if we are to get Ireland working ahead.
But it won’t be forgotten that no other small Northern European eurozone economy experienced the scale of devastation as Ireland.
The Fianna Fail Governments in which Micheal Martin served for 14 years are the reason why the unemployment rate in Ireland is twice that of Finland, of Denmark and of Sweden.
The toxic mix of Fianna Fail policies that fuelled the property boom has left a generation saddled with massive personal debts and hundreds of thousands of workers in construction in other sectors with depleted incomes or unemployed.
Their policies drained the enterprising spirit out of our economy with money and talent chasing quick gains from a property bubble that could never last. Our Action Plan for Jobs is designed to rebuild that enterprise culture.
Their policies left a vast number of construction workers unemployed with an uncertain future. Our plan is to rapidly modernise our welfare and work activation services to help workers caught up in the property bubble back into jobs.
Their policies drove up public spending based on temporary stamp duty taxes which left us with the highest deficit in Europe. Our plan is to develop a sustainable tax base and bring down our deficit to safe levels.
Fianna Fail’s economic policies will never be forgotten by those families and communities hardest hit by their legacy. Not facing up to their responsibility for Ireland’s economic crisis is just part of their opportunistic and cynical approach to politics which got us into this position in the first place.
There is further evidence of this in their approach in opposition. Fianna Fail’s hypocritical opposition to the property tax is a classic example of the Party jeopardising economic recovery in pursuit of political gain.
The question for Micheal Martin is does he accept his Government’s exclusive role in causing the unemployment and debt crises and if he does not then he can never be trusted with the economy again.
We have a recovery plan. It is starting to get results.
1,000 private sector jobs a week.
The highest level of multinational employment growth in a decade.
The highest net jobs gain for Irish companies since 2006.
We understand that everyone is not seeing signs of recovery but we are working all the time to accelerate progress.
The Action Plan report today is an account of our efforts.
I will now ask the Tánaiste and then the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to outline some detail on their priority areas under the Plan.