Government Action Plan and the Liberties

The Government’s Action Plan for Jobs aims to create new firms based around the Digital Hub in The Liberties.

The Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) is cited in the plan as already supporting 800 jobs in the area, with a total of 160 companies setting up in the DHDA since 2003.

Combining the resources of Community Enterprise Centres is central to the Government’s “one stop shop” policy to aid new enterprises getting off the ground.

Local politicians and community support groups welcome the plan but some feel that policy needs to be geared towards the education needs of the people of the Liberties and Dublin 8 in general.

Evan Moore of the South West Inner City Network said, “It’s good to see Government thinking about jobs, but there is never any local input.”

“We (the SWICN) will do a review of this and other plans next month, but cutbacks to youth services, FÁS services and DEIS education programs don’t help,”  he added.

Councillor Rebecca Moynihan of Labour said the plan needs to be regarded from a national perspective.

Cllr Moynihan said “While the Liberties is an unemployment hotspot, this plan is on a nationwide basis, but the Liberties could gain capital by coming ahead as a digital cluster.”

For Cllr Moynihan, the main focus now is to protect valuable education and support programmes in the area.  Preserving the funding for DEIS schools in the Dublin 8 region is of particular importance.

Cllr Moynihan said, “DEIS programs are very important and I am lobbying the government on the funding for these programs.”

The Action Plan aspires to create 100,000 jobs nationally by 2016.

Dr. Stephen Brennan of the DHDA says the Digital Hub is central to job creation in the Liberties.

“What’s more, the learning projects conducted with the local community have resulted in over 12,000 participants involved in upskilling in digital content and technology.” Brennan said.

However Evan Moore of the SWICN said “These plans come but without input in local areas they could be seen, on the one hand, as a PR stunt.”