Employment incentive scheme delay
Denis Naughten questions the delay in securing EU approval for an employment incentive scheme intended to create jobs. The Taoiseach undertakes to have the Minister for Finance respond.
On secondary legislation, last December the Minister for Finance announced an extension to the employment incentive scheme to get approximately €125 million into companies to create 1,200 new jobs a year. Last April the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation produced a report stating that EU approval was expected within a number of weeks, but the Department of Finance only sought this approval last June. The creation of 1,000 jobs has not happened since the initiative was announced in the budget; rather, 75,000 people have left the country. Will the Taoiseach find out why the Department of Finance delayed getting EU approval for section 22 of the Finance Act 2013? When will it be enacted?