Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he intends to take to attract new jobs to Cork following the news that 180 jobs at the GN ReSound plant were moving to China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4072/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland and its regions. The marketing of individual areas, including Cork, for new or expansion FDI investments and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for the agency. While I may give general policy directives to IDA Ireland, I am precluded under the Industrial Development Acts from giving preference to one area over others. However, at the request of the agencies, I can and do assist the agencies from time to time in their efforts to promote Ireland and its regions for new investment and jobs.

To date in 2006 two new projects have been announced in Cork by Citco and Amgen which will result in 1,350 new jobs at full operation. Citco will create 250 new financial services jobs while the recent Amgen announcement of 1,100 new jobs at an €820 million facility at Carrigtohill is of particular importance being a major global project that has chosen Cork as its development location. These projects follow on from a number of projects announced in 2005 by companies such as Engenio, Siemens, Parsons, VMware, Alps, Cascade Designs and Alcon.

The loss of the jobs mentioned by the Deputy is regrettable. The recent success means that Ireland is much less competitive as a location for low wage manufacturing jobs. The focus for the future must be to attract investment requiring high skill levels, that are innovation rather than production orientated. Only economic activities with these characteristics will allow us maintain economic growth in the face of increasing competition from emerging economies such as China and India.

IDA Ireland's strategy for attracting FDI to the south-west region, including Cork is to progress the development of a knowledge economy in the region by targeting sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, information and communications technologies, ICT, and internationally traded services via its network of overseas offices and project divisions; work with its existing client base to help them identify new investment opportunities, move up the value chain into higher value products and services and into higher order functions, such as research and development, that are more suited to the competitive characteristics of the Irish economy in the medium to long term; provide modern property solutions with supporting infrastructure; and work with local authorities and relevant infrastructure and service providers to influence the delivery of appropriate infrastructure to the region.

I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by IDA Ireland, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development, will bear fruit in terms of additional sustainable investment and jobs for the people of Cork.