Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 201: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the number of Industrial Development Authority visits each year for the past three years to south Tipperary and on the recent statements by the IDA that south Tipperary is less likely to be successful in drawing foreign investment than other nearby areas; and her further views on south Tipperary's employment statistics over the past five years in comparison to general trends nationally and on the future employment prospects for people living in the area. [1686/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. The marketing of individual areas 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 the Agency, I am precluded under the Industrial Development Acts from giving directives regarding individual undertakings or from giving preference to one area over others.

Currently, there are 12 IDA Ireland supported companies in South Tipperary, employing over 3,000 people. In the context of promoting foreign direct investment, IDA Ireland works closely with the educational institutions in the region to ensure that the skill-sets necessary to attract high value–added employment to South Tipperary are being developed. The agency also works with the Industrial Training agency FÁS to ensure that the needs of industry in the areas of training and up-skilling are being met. Employment in South Tipperary, over the period 2005 to Q3 2008 has been positively progressing in an upward trend as measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey, published by the CSO. This compares favourably with the rest of the country.

In line with the National Spatial Strategy, IDA Ireland is focused on delivering investments to all of the Gateway and Hub locations. IDA's strategy for South Tipperary is to concentrate future economic development in Clonmel and to develop the town as a first-class location for overseas investment. This strategy has been agreed with the South Tipperary County Council. As Ireland competes for investments at the highest end of the value chain the concept of scale is crucial to our economic destiny. Leading corporations require a significant population of highly qualified talent, effective physical and digital infrastructure coupled with availability of sophisticated professional support services. If we are to continue being successful in realising a large proportion of our investments outside of the larger cities, all economic and social stakeholders will need to adhere to the framework on which the NSS is constructed.