Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What Deputy Harty said is correct. The situation is very much on my mind. We both share the same concerns about employment in County Clare but I think there is good news for the county. First, I will deal with his question.

In November 2015, Roche Holding AG announced the decision to close its facility in Clarecastle following a review of its worldwide manufacturing network. This review also resulted in closures at plants in other international locations. Since that announcement was made, IDA Ireland has been working hard to identify a new buyer for the facility. The site is still being actively promoted by the agency's staff to existing clients and potential investors and that will continue to be the case. The company's senior management also met with IDA Ireland recently and are assisting the agency's efforts in that regard. We remain hopeful that an investor will be identified in due course and that further employment opportunities will, in turn, be created for the people of Clarecastle and the wider Clare area.

While I remain very disappointed by the closure of this facility, I welcome the continuing overseas investment in County Clare, where there are 68 IDA Ireland client companies employing a total of 6,775 people. The level of FD, employment in the county has increased by almost 12% since 2013 and the Government is determined to grow those numbers further. IDA Ireland, in promoting Clare as an investment destination, markets the county as part of the mid-west region along with Limerick and north Tipperary. The overall trend for employment in multinationals across that region is positive, with the agency’s client companies creating 1,481 new jobs there last year. That represented an increase of 5% over the previous year. Total employment in overseas companies now stands at 17,787 people across 128 client companies.

Recent investment announcements by overseas companies reflect the potential of Clare and the surrounding area to attract high-quality FDI. The decision by Jaguar Land Rover to establish a new software engineering facility in Shannon, for example, shows that the region can attract desirable high-tech investment and the employment opportunities associated with such projects. Beckman Coulter's announcement last December that it is to expand the current facility with the addition of 70 new roles is further evidence of the area's strengths and attractiveness to investors.

IDA Ireland remains focused on engaging with its client base so to harness that potential and create further employment and investment growth in the region. We need to remember, however, that FDI forms only one part of our efforts to generate economic growth in regional locations, whether in the mid-west or elsewhere. Indigenous enterprise also has a critical role to play. That is reflected in the regional action plan for jobs initiative, which is a central pillar of the Government's ambition to create 135,000 new jobs outside of Dublin by 2020.

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