Employment plan 'good for Meath', say Govt TDs

Two Fianna Fail TDs in Meath have pledged the Government's new employment strategy unveiled by Taoiseach Brian Cowen yesterday (Tuesday) will be good news for Meath. Meath West TD Johnny Brady said the new Govt focus on job creation is great news for small businesses locally. Under the five-year plan, new ambitious targets will be set in the areas of manufacturing, tourism and exports. "Despite the economic slowdown in Ireland, we are continuing to punch above our weight in attracting foreign and direct investment. Under the strategy, the IDA plans to attract a further 780 firms to this country," he said. "Meath, with its young educated population and good transport links, is ideally placed to benefit. The strategy will also see a push to increase the numbers of tourist coming to Ireland by 33 per cent to reach eight million by 2015. Finally, the strategy aims to increase the value of Irish exports by a third. "Only last week, we were able to announce that the value of exports in July was up by 12 per cent compared with July last year. I firmly believe our recovery will be export-led and that is why the Government is putting record levels of investment into the enterprise sector to stimulate the economy and create jobs so that we can return to economic growth." Meath East FF TD Thomas Byrne has also welcomed the launch of the Government's integrated plan for trade, tourism and investment, saying that it will mean local jobs. "An Taoiseach has just launched a five-year integrated plan, 'Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy' which will focus on trade, tourism and investment and aims to create 300,000 jobs and boost exports by one-third. The whole focus of the plan is to create jobs has the potential to benefit Meath businesses and enterprise," he said. Deputy Byrne said it aims to create over 150,000 direct new jobs in manufacturing, tourism and international trading services. The aim is also to create an additional 150,000 spin-off jobs. The Government plan also aims to increase the value of Irish exports by indigenous agency-assisted firms by one-third, as well as increase the number of overseas visitors to Ireland by eight million and attract an extra 780 foreign investment projects through IDA Ireland. "The new five-year integrated plan will be implemented by the newly established Foreign Trade Council, comprising of all of the relevant department's agencies. The Foreign Trade Council will promote Ireland abroad with new 'brand Ireland' initiatives such as exploiting the marketing potential of St Patrick's Day and trade missions. The aim will be to open new markets for small and medium-sized enterprises. The council will also work to ensure that our visa policy is aligned with strategic business interests and that our overseas diplomatic agency representatives." Deputy Byrne added: "These are tough times for business and enterprise so I am pleased to see that this plan will bring all of the relevant Government departments and agencies together to ensure that everyone works together in an optimal way to ensure the best results. "It is only right that the focus of the Government departments and agencies is on jobs and I am confident that, by working together, there will be real potential for job creation. It is about working smarter and harder and this new integrated Plan is part of that."