Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have three questions on programme A. With regard to foreign direct investment jobs in the regions, my analysis of the 2017 foreign direct investment jobs indicates some areas are faring very poorly on this. For instance, the ratio of foreign direct investment jobs to the local population is best in Dublin, which is unsurprising. There is one IDA Ireland-backed job for every 15 citizens. In Laois it is 712:1 and in Monaghan it is 408:1. Other counties also perform poorly, with Meath having a ratio of 130:1 and Kilkenny with a ratio of 127:1. Laois currently hosts just 0.05% of all foreign direct investment jobs in Ireland, while the Minister's home county of Monaghan does not fare much better, being home to just 0.07% of all foreign direct investment jobs. We need new initiatives focused on getting more foreign direct investment companies to these counties. I agree with the Minister that we need more initiatives. Does she have any plans for this?