Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. IDA Ireland is leading our efforts to attract even more foreign direct investment to regional areas. The agency continues to work towards key development targets set out in its 2015-19 strategy, including increasing investment by 30% to 40% in every region. Since the launch of that strategy, half of all jobs created by its client companies have been based outside Dublin. To quantify the extent of this impressive result, it means that just under 30,000 jobs have been created in the regions in three years. Moreover, the agency's 2017 results showed that every region posted net gains in jobs last year. This shows that real progress is being made towards increasing the regional spread of FDI throughout the country.

Site visits represent an important tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas and IDA Ireland always does its utmost to ensure that investors consider all potential locations when visiting Ireland. Ensuring that there are properties available for potential multinational investors is a key component of that approach. If there were no available properties in the regions, IDA Ireland-owned or otherwise, it would significantly diminish the agency’s capacity to attract and win new investments there. Overseas firms need to know that there are suitable sites and facilities in an area before they make a decision to invest.

I stress that the portfolio of properties held by IDA Ireland depends on the level of demand from investor companies and that the agency also helps to provide property solutions for Enterprise Ireland clients whenever possible. The objective is always to ensure that companies - small or large, indigenous or multinational - are connected with the right property in the right location so that the business concerned can thrive and jobs can be created.

In that context, we should not lose sight of the fact that FDI only forms one part of investment in regional locations. Indigenous enterprise also helps to drive employment growth across Ireland. All Departments and the State’s enterprise agencies work together constantly to help foster and support Irish companies wherever they can.

IDA Ireland has a property portfolio so that it can readily help potential job-creators find a suitable place in which to do business. The availability of these properties is key to our ongoing efforts to attract more firms to this country. The underlying objective though is always to match companies with these sites and properties so jobs and economic opportunities can be created.

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