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

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Government is committed to supporting job creation in the regions. My Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure employment and investment are distributed as evenly as possible across the country. This includes County Carlow which is marketed by IDA Ireland as part of the south-east region. The employment situation in the south east which also covers Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and south Tipperary has been improving steadily in recent years. Key to this has been the South-East Action Plan for Jobs which was launched in September 2015. I met the people involved with the plan only last Monday. The action plan places a heavy focus on employment growth, with a target of creating 25,000 extra positions for the area. To date, 16,200 jobs have been created, which represents significant progress towards achieving the set target. IDA Ireland client companies in the south east created 1,200 new jobs last year alone, which brought total employment in overseas companies in the region to 14,785 across 75 client companies.

Looking ahead, IDA Ireland will continue to work with its clients to identify opportunities for new investment or expansion in the south east. In doing so the agency will draw the attention of investors to the region's particular strengths which include the south east's accessibility, ports and existing cluster of medical technology firms. The agency is also working closely with its existing clients in the region to help to strengthen and potentially grow their respective workforces. In addition, the agency is investing in property solutions to drive the growth of foreign direct investment in the region. IDA Ireland's €150 million regional property programme includes the construction of nine new advance facilities throughout the country, one of which will be located in Carlow. The building is at design stage, with the aim of having it completed in 2019.

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While more work remains to be done in the wider south-east region, the overall employment trend in the area is positive. My Department and its agencies will continue to do their utmost to ensure further progress is made in the creation of more jobs and attracting further foreign direct investment.

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