Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 518: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA Ireland supported jobs created in County Kerry in 2004; the details of these jobs and their locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1062/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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IDA Ireland has statutory responsibility for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, including its regions and areas. Data on employment are compiled from the annual Forfás employment survey. County data for 2004 will not be available until mid-2005. Some 609 new IDA Ireland supported jobs were created in Kerry between 2001 and 2003, of which 374 were created in 2001, 153 were created in 2002 and 82 were created in 2003. Some 365 of the new jobs were created in the south Kerry area — Cahirciveen, Kenmare, Killarney and Killorglin — while the other 244 new jobs were created in the northern part of the county — Castleisland, Listowel and Tralee. More precise figures on specific locations are not available.

There were 2,205 people in permanent employment in IDA Ireland-assisted companies in County Kerry at the end of 2003. Employment in IDA Ireland-supported companies in the county is performing relatively well, when considered in the context of the recent global downturn which has resulted in fewer companies actively seeking to invest overseas and fewer companies visiting Ireland. I am pleased that three IDA Ireland-supported investment projects, all of which are expansion projects, were announced for County Kerry in 2004. I will provide details of the projects.

Dollinger (Ireland) Limited is to be expanded and established by its parent company, SPX Air Treatment, as the global centre for the production of its compressed air products. The company will invest €1.1 million and create more than 70 new jobs over the next four years in production and ancillary areas. Fujisawa, one of the world's top 30 pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it has invested €17 million in the expansion of its Irish operation, Fujisawa Ireland Limited, in Killorglin in County Kerry. The company, which employs 280 people in Killorglin, has constructed a 27,000 sq. ft. extension to provide additional production space for the new operation.

Liebherr International AG, one of the world's largest family-owned businesses and a leading global manufacturer which is best known for its cranes and construction machinery, is to implement a strategic expansion of its research and development activities, with the support of IDA Ireland, at its Irish operation, Liebherr Container Cranes Limited, which was established in Killarney in 1958. The investment will lead to the recruitment of six highly skilled research and development personnel as part of a new specialised research and development team that will develop new products from concept through production to full product launch. The team will manage the ongoing developments and modifications required by customers' changing requirements.

IDA Ireland's strategy for County Kerry has a sectoral focus. It concentrates on achieving developments in the international services, engineering and ICT sectors, focusing particularly on Tralee and Killarney, which are designated as linked hubs under the national spatial strategy. I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by IDA Ireland in Kerry, with the ongoing commitment of the Government to regional development, will continue to bear fruit in terms of delivering the maximum possible level of additional jobs for the county.