merrion street

The Minister for Communications & Energy, Pat Rabbitte T.D. welcomed today's launch of the second Action Plan for Jobs, the centrepiece of the Government’s strategy to create jobs.

He underlined the high potential of both the digital sector and green economy to job growth and noted that his Department will soon be launching two important job creation reforms highlighted in the Plan.

In the Energy sector the Plan contains a commitment to greatly enhance Irelands energy efficiency performance. Full details of this, including the creation of an Energy Efficiency Fund will be announced by the Minister next week.

The Plan also contains an initiative to incentivise online trading. The details of this will be announced shortly as part of the launch of a National Digital Strategy. The initiative aims to help Irish businesses gain competitiveness and grow by having online access to new markets and a wider customer base.

Minister Rabbitte noted that the action plan also highlights a range of commitments aimed at ensuring the operating environment for business is optimised notably in terms of energy infrastructure and the implementation of the National Broadband Plan published last year.

The Minister was speaking on the margins of an EU Energy Minister's Council which he is chairing this morning in Brussels.