Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No enterprise policy is more important than strengthening regional development, including through the growth of foreign direct investment, FDI. The Department is doing everything it can to increase and deepen FDI throughout the country. The energy and resources we have invested into that objective is, as the evidence illustrates, producing results. In 2018, for example, the IDA delivered 113 regional investments, with 56% of net new jobs created outside Dublin, while in the past four years, 44,500 new FDI-driven jobs have been created outside the capital. We will do our utmost to encourage further such job growth in all parts of Ireland in 2020 and beyond. 

Cork, which the Deputy mentioned, has traditionally been a strong performer in respect of FDI. The trend continues, with a steady and positive increase in employment numbers in IDA client companies in the county in recent years. Currently, there are 169 IDA client companies in Cork, employing approximately 39,000 people, while almost 2,100 net new jobs were added by multinational companies in 2018. There are many reasons companies choose to invest in Cork.  It is known for its high-quality technical workforce, its adaptability and its commitment to innovation. In the past 12 months, there have been some high-profile announcements from Cork-based IDA clients, including plans to create 100 new jobs at Forcepoint and 200 new jobs at Janssen Sciences in Ringaskiddy. There have also been a number of significant research and development announcements, including plans by Stryker to invest €200 million in a number of projects at three of its Cork facilities. These high-calibre investments are a great vote of confidence in Cork's workforce and a testament to the pro-enterprise environment fostered in the county.

As for the Cork peninsulas and islands, I assure the Deputy that the IDA, with the support of the Department, actively draws the attention of its clients to every region of Ireland through its network of offices in Ireland and overseas. The agency has a number of incentives in place to encourage companies to invest throughout Cork, including the provision of investment advice and expertise, hosting site visits and providing financial supports in the form of IDA grants.

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