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

This Government is determined to support the growth of high-quality and sustainable employment across Ireland, including in County Mayo, and I have made regional development one of my priorities. The recent annual results of the IDA demonstrate that we are making significant progress in Mayo and the west region. In 2018, for example, 56% of all net new jobs created by the agency were in locations outside Dublin. Similarly, every region in Ireland, including the west, posted net gains in jobs last year. There are now over 132,000 people employed across 681 firms in IDA Ireland-client companies outside the capital. In fact, 58% of all IDA-supported employment is now outside Dublin. This represents the highest number of people employed in the regions by IDA Ireland clients in the agency’s history.

While more work remains to be done, County Mayo has benefitted from this regional focus. Mayo is home to a number of prominent multinationals which have shown a significant level of commitment to the county with companies such as Allergan, Baxter Healthcare and Fort Wayne Metals continuing to perform well. The past two years have seen Coca Cola investing €26 million in its Ballina operations to expand its range of activities at the facility. The presence of these companies is a testimony to the positive, enterprise-focused environment for international business that has been fostered in County Mayo.

In the past 12 months, Mayo has experienced a 7.5% growth in employment by overseas companies with 344 net new jobs added and FDI employment now reaching 4,828 people. The IDA, for its part, continues to highlight the benefits of expanding or locating in Mayo to multinationals. In 2018, the agency hosted ten site visits in County Mayo compared with seven site visits in 2017. The IDA also has a number of property solutions in place for prospective investors including approximately 11 ha of industrial zoned land in Ballina which could facilitate the development of a business and technology park. As part of its regional property programme, the IDA constructed an advanced building in Castlebar and I welcome the recent announcement that Meissner will occupy this building with the intention of creating 150 jobs over the next five years. Initiatives like the regional property programme have, so far, supported the creation of hundreds of jobs to date in regional locations such as Sligo, Waterford and Athlone with more expected in the short to medium term. This is a positive reflection of the IDA's proactive investment in property solutions in the regions.