Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin Kenny for his question. He he is representing his county well. The Government is committed to supporting job creation and investment in the regions. This remains a key priority. That is why my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are distributed as evenly as possible across the country, including in County Leitrim.

The north east-north west action plan for jobs is a key policy response for supporting employment growth in the Border region. The plan is stimulating job creation across the region by facilitating collaborative initiatives between the public and private sector and through the provision of new competitive funds awarded through Enterprise Ireland to support regional enterprise projects.

There are currently five IDA Ireland client companies employing 889 people in Leitrim. Employment in these five companies has increased steadily over the years, with 283 additional jobs being created between 2013 and 2017. The increase in employment highlights the work undertaken by IDA Ireland in partnering with its existing client base to help evolve operations and to identify new areas of opportunity in order that they can sustain a long-term presence in the country.

As well as engaging with current clients in Leitrim, IDA Ireland is also working hard to identify new investment opportunities for the county and the north west. This is line with the agency's five-year strategy and goal to increase investment in every region of Ireland by 20% to 30% by 2019. IDA Ireland's staff are continuing to highlight the benefits of areas like Leitrim to investors and the advantages for overseas companies in locating there.

Our collective efforts to increase investment and job creation in the north-west region, which includes Sligo and Donegal, are aided by the strong base of foreign direct investment currently located in those counties by overseas companies in the region. As the Deputy knows, employment has been steadily growing over the years. Last year, for example, IDA Ireland client companies in the north west created 330 new jobs, bringing total foreign direct investment, FDI, employment up to 6,462 people across 40 client companies.

FDI, represents only one part of our wider efforts to generate economic growth in regional locations. Indigenous enterprise also plays a crucial role in creating employment opportunities. Enterprise Ireland plays a key role in supporting companies in areas such as Leitrim to innovate and remain competitive in international markets. In 2017, 559 people were employed across 25 Enterprise Ireland supported companies in the county. In addition, Enterprise Ireland paid €1.6 million to client companies based in Leitrim between 2015 and 2017.

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The LEO in Leitrim also provides financial assistance, guidance and other supports for anyone who intends to start or grow their own business. It can offer direct grant aid to microenterprises in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors which, over time, have the potential to develop into strong export entities. In 2017, the Leitrim LEO supported the creation of 39 new jobs with 101 clients participating in LEO mentoring programmes and 571 clients availing of LEO training programmes.

We have made progress in creating new economic opportunities in Leitrim but we are determined to achieve more. That is why we will continue to focus on regional development and explore how we can create new job and investment opportunities for the people of the County and the wider area.

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