No jobs taskforce for Midlands

The Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation has ruled out establishing a special jobs taskforce to tackle unemployment in the midlands.
Minister Richard Bruton was responding to questions by party colleague Fine Gael’s Longford/Westmeath Deputy James Bannon who asked what plans the Minister had for job creation in the Longford/ Westmeath area and whether he had plans to set up an inter-agency for the midlands
The Minister said: “I consider that it is not practicable or effective to establish jobs task forces, except in exceptional circumstances, having regard to the State’s current limited resources.”
He went on to oultine that last year, 2,352 people were employed on a full time basis in Enterprise Ireland client companies in Westmeath (an increase of 171 from 2011). In 2012, €1.01 million was paid to companies in Westmeath for job creation and retention and business development purposes.
And he revealed that nine applicants from the midlands, including four from Westmeath, were successful in securing funding from a new Midlands Competitive Feasibility Fund. This new Fund provides funding of up to €25,000 per project. The 2013 New Frontiers Programme is currently underway. 14 start-up companies participated in the 2012 Programme receiving targeted financial support of €15,000 per start-up.