Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 210: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of site visits made by the Industrial Development Authority to Fermoy, County Cork; the initiatives that are being taken to attract new enterprises to Fermoy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31555/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The marketing of individual areas for new or expansion foreign direct investment (FDI) and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for IDA Ireland as part of the statutory responsibilities assigned to it by the Oireachtas and not one in which I have a function. The situation is set out in my reply today to a separate question from Deputy Sherlock.

In line with the National Spatial Strategy, IDA is actively marketing Fermoy as part of the broader North Cork region, which includes the towns of Mallow, Mitchelstown, Fermoy, Kanturk, Charleville, Newmarket and Millstreet. IDA strives to attract companies from across the full range of IDA targeted sectors, such as Pharmaceuticals, Medical Technologies, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Internationally Traded Services via its network of overseas offices and project divisions. In addition the Agency continues to work closely with its existing clients in the area to encourage the expansion of their operations.

However, in the final analysis it is the investor who decides where to visit and where to locate.