merrion street

This morning the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan T.D. welcomed the launch by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D. of the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs. This is a whole of Government effort to bring jobs to all those who seek one. In each of the Action Plans for Jobs over recent years, the Department of Finance has played a key role and that will continue in 2017.
Government policy, since 2011, has been focused on ensuring that all viable SMEs have access to a suitable supply of credit from a range of bank and non-bank sources in order to support growth and employment. As a result, the Finance for Growth related actions included in previous editions of the Action Plan for Jobs has supported this and significant progress on SME access to finance has been made. However, while the economic recovery has led to an improvement in overall credit availability for Irish business, the issue of access to appropriate forms of finance remains a concern for many Irish micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
As in previous years, ensuring that viable SMEs have access to a suitable supply of credit from a range of bank and non-bank sources to support growth and employment is a priority. The actions contained in the section on Ensuring Finance for Growth in the Action Plan for Jobs 2017, therefore, have been developed with this, and the possible implications of Brexit, in mind.
The Ensuring Finance for Growth section in the Action Plan for Jobs 2017 was coordinated by the Department of Finance through contributions from the SME State Bodies Group.

Speaking about the Action Plan for Jobs 2017, the Minister for Finance stated:
“The Action Plan for Jobs has been an effective means of providing support for our domestic businesses and now provides an opportunity for a whole of Government response to the latest challenges especially those that arise from Brexit. Now more than ever, it is important that our businesses diversify, grow and continue to create jobs. My Department will continue to focus its efforts to ensure that viable businesses can access credit from both bank and non-bank sources to facilitate both growth and diversification”.
“I have worked closely with Minister Mitchell O’Connor on a number of recent announcements of new jobs for the mid-west and have been impressed by the work of the IDA and the effect of the Action Plan for Jobs on the lives of all of those individuals who have found work through this transformative plan. I look forward to the continued success of this plan.”

Minister of State for Financial Services Eoghan Murphy T.D. also welcomed the plan and said:
“The Implementation of the International Financial Services Strategy is an ongoing and integral part of the Action Plan for Jobs. Both processes seek to increase the availability of quality jobs for our people and involve coordinated and concerted action by government Departments and agencies working together. ”