Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regional development is at the centre of Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on enterprise and is the key focus of our Department's work on developing and implementing the regional enterprise plans. IDA Ireland is committed to the pursuit of more balanced, compact regional development which can deliver complementary efficiency and equity gains, with the overall impact of helping to advance national development. IDA Ireland is targeting that at least half of all investments - that is 400 of 800 - from 2021 to 2024 would be in regional locations and to maintain the same high level of investment as targeted in IDA Ireland’s previous strategy for each region.

IDA Ireland results for 2022 show the highest increase in FDI employment on record. Total employment in IDA Ireland client companies now stands at 301,475, the highest employment level ever and a 9% increase on 2021. Employment growth was recorded in every region of the country for the second consecutive year.

The west and mid-west region has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services and engineering and industrial technologies. It has also won and continues to win significant investment across all of these sectors over a sustained period which has contributed significantly to employment growth and positive economic impacts on other sectors of the economy.

There are currently 70 IDA Ireland client companies, employing 6,643 people, in Clare, 68, employing 14,793 people, in Limerick and 99, employing 24,400 people, in Galway. In 2022, there were: 22 site visits to Clare, 17 in-person and five virtual; 48 site visits to Limerick, 31 in-person and 17 virtual; and 40 site visits to Galway, 31 in-person and nine virtual.

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