Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
64. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when a new south-east regional enterprise plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12894/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraBalanced regional development is a Government priority and a central component of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 is to support balanced regional enterprise development. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region.
The South-East REP covers the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford and its Steering Committee includes representatives from the enterprise agencies, local authorities, the Southern Regional Assembly, higher education institutes and industry who work collaboratively to drive implementation of the REP. There has been a lot of activity under the South-East REP with its thirty-two actions under five strategic objectives, which cover areas including supporting entrepreneurship, green energy, and innovation. The last steering committee meeting was held on 24 November 2025. A permanent REP Programme Manager for the region is now in place, hosted by Waterford County Council.
The REPs had been extended for one year to end 2025 with agreement from the Regional Enterprise Plans National Oversight Group at its meeting of 25 April 2024. This extension provided an additional year for continued implementation of the current plans and time to review the REP initiative and consider the best approach to the future of the REPs.
In this context, my Department commissioned an independent review of the Regional Enterprise Plan initiative in 2025. A Steering Group made up of REP stakeholders and Department officials oversaw the review. The review included significant engagement with regional enterprise stakeholders, in-depth analysis of the plans and their implementation progress reports, and consideration of international approaches to regional enterprise development. The review also included recommendations and options for the future of the REPs.
The Final Progress Reports for the latest REPs are due to be published in the coming months; these reports, along with the findings and recommendations of the REP Review, will feed into our decision-making on the future approach to regional enterprise development.
