Tánaiste Addresses the Annual Business Lunch of the Dundrum Chamber of Commerce

22% Fall in Unemployment in Dundrum Area

"The entrepreneurial activity of business in the Dundrum areas has contributed significantly to the large decrease of 22% in the number on the Live Register in the area since my Government came into office", the Tánaiste said today (Thursday, 12th November, 1998) at the annual business lunch of the Dundrum Chamber of Commerce.

Numbers on the Live Register in the area have fallen from almost 4,000 to just over 3,000 between June 1997 and September 1998. "I expect this trend to continue as we implement the Government's Employment Action Plan".

The Plan is sharply focussed on getting unemployed people into the many jobs that are available in the economy and upskilling those already in employment for the increasing competitive challenges ahead. Our key goal is to get more young people and long term unemployed people into sustainable employment".

The Tánaiste said that in her own Department £416 million was being devoted to welfare to work measures and "further targeted measures are in preparation for announcement in the Budget on December 2nd next".

"I am introducing a £25 per week training bonus for long term unemployed people to take up training places. This will cost an extra £1.25 million in 1999. Up to now there has been insufficient incentive for long term unemployed persons to take up full time training as opposed to the option of Community Employment. I am also allocating an extra £3.2 million to train 800 unemployed people in software and electronics to meet the needs of the growing high tech sector. I am also providing for an additional 1,000 training places for young unemployed people. Overall the training for the unemployed component of the welfare to work package will rise by £6.4 million.

"The Local Employment Service is a key measure in providing pathways to employment opportunity. I am allocating an extra £3.3 million in 1999 to roll out the LES to a further 7 areas bringing the total to 25 areas including Dundrum for the first time," the Tánaiste announced to the Chamber.

The Tánaiste said that the Dundrum Chamber, now in its second year of existence, had the potential to contribute most effectively to the development of the business community in its area. "Dundrum, through its central location, has ready access to a vast amount of educational and economic development opportunities at present and into the future. This augurs well for the work of this Chamber".

"Dundrum already has companies that are among the leaders in their fields", the Tánaiste continued. Among them are education and localisation companies such as CBT Systems, Knowledge Well and Transware Ltd., telecommunications companies such as Septro Telecom and Euristix Ltd., and software companies such as Gradient Solutions Ltd. and Trintech.

In the immediate Dundrum area, the recent developments at Beechill, Richview and Dundrum Business parks show that modern business parks providing top quality jobs in the services sector can now be brought closer to local communities. An example of this is the building of Compaq's pan-European customer support centre in Beechill, Clonskeagh. This massive 700 job project (400 currently recruited) will move into its new headquarters in 1999.

"Sandyford Industrial Estate and IDA Ireland's South Business Park in Leopardstown adjacent to Dundrum is further evidence of the access this community has to world class opportunities for its growing population. Many of the corporations involved are expanding in their locations and are mainly involved in the electronics, software and internationally traded services area", the Tánaiste added.

Venturepoint, the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Enterprise Board, has assisted in the creation of over 100 jobs in the Dundrum area during the last 18 months. Venturepoint's Awards went to Blarney Stone Enterprises, Churchtown recently, a most successful company which increased its employment to 21 over a short period of time. "I look forward to hearing more success stories like this in the future and I am sure that with all the available supports in the area, including this Chamber, this will become a reality", the Tánaiste predicted.