Press release
New Regional Enterprise Plans to be developed throughout the country
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
The process to develop a series of new Regional Enterprise Plans will commence today (Tuesday 23 February) when Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Robert Troy TD meets virtually with the Regional Steering Committee for the Midlands region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath).
Over the coming weeks, Minister Troy and his departmental colleague Minister Damien English will engage with the other eight Regional Committees around the country with a view to developing a new series of Regional Enterprise Plans which it is hoped will create the conditions for entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses, encourage new investment and business growth, and lead to increased employment in every region.
Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD said:
"I am delighted to begin this engagement today with the Midlands region. The Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan Steering Committee, chaired by Dr Anne Cusack, MD Critical Healthcare, has overseen a very successful Plan over the past two years. With the challenges facing us, it is timely to reassess and repurpose the regional plans so that we can ensure sustainable economic recovery and continue to build on each region’s strengths and opportunities for the benefit of local businesses and communities."
Minister for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD said:
"Achieving balanced regional development is a key objective of Government and these Plans, with the emphasis on local collaboration, enable regional stakeholders to work together on initiatives that address known vulnerabilities and deliver on unique opportunities. The coming months will allow local stakeholders to engage fully in developing a jobs-led economic recovery post pandemic that will ensure the best outcomes for their own Region."
The process commencing today will see new Regional Enterprise Plans developed for each region which will cover the period through to 2024. The Plans are based on a ‘bottom-up’ collaborative approach, involving development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, Local Authorities, higher and further education bodies and businesses. Each Regional Committee is chaired by a senior figure from industry within the region.
Because of their regional nature, the Plans bring a focus and collaborative effort to address specific regional ecosystem gaps and act on the strengths and opportunities unique to each region, adding value to and complementing the ongoing work of the individual enterprise agencies and development bodies in the region.
The Committees will consider emerging opportunities and challenges facing their regions including Brexit, recovery from COVID-19, remote working, climate action and just transition.
A new National Oversight Group, chaired by Ministers Troy and English, will be established to oversee firstly the development of the new Plans and then to monitor their implementation at National level through until 2024.
The new Regional Enterprise Plans are expected to be launched in Q3 2021.
ENDS
The nine Regional Steering Committees established by DETE are implementing Regional Enterprise Plans. The current Regional Plans are structured around a small number of agreed longer term ‘Strategic Objectives’ for enterprise development for their region, together with a two-year work programme to progress actions which deliver to the objectives. The current Plans concluded at the end of 2020.
Nine Progress Reports on implementation of the Regional Enterprise Plans were completed in early 2020 and are available on the department’s website at https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/Publications/ and a final Year 2 Progress Report for each region will be published in the coming weeks. The Progress Reports show that the model has impact and that actions delivered are complementary and add value to the mainstream interventions of the enterprise agencies and other bodies working to enable enterprise development at a regional level.
| Region | County |
| Midlands | Offaly |
| Laois | |
| Westmeath | |
| Longford | |
| North-East | Louth |
| Cavan | |
| Monaghan | |
| North West | Donegal |
| Sligo | |
| Leitrim | |
| Mid-East | Kildare |
| Meath | |
| Wicklow | |
| West | Galway |
| Mayo | |
| Roscommon | |
| Mid-West | Clare |
| Limerick | |
| Tipperary | |
| South East | Carlow |
| Kilkenny | |
| Waterford | |
| Wexford | |
| Tipperary | |
| South West | Cork |
| Kerry | |
| Dublin |
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) plays a key role in implementing the government’s policies of stimulating the productive capacity of the economy and creating an environment which supports job creation and maintenance. The department has lead responsibility for Irish policy on global trade and inward investment and a remit to promote fair competition in the marketplace, protect consumers and safeguard workers.
For further information please contact Press Office, D/Enterprise, Trade and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie or (01) 631-2200.