Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the services currently being provided through the Industrial Development Agency office in Letterkenny, County Donegal; the staff numbers currently based there; if there has been a reduction in the staff numbers operating from the office in recent times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31274/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if it is planned to continue to base the new north west regional manager of the Industrial Development Agency at the IDA office in Letterkenny, County Donegal, as has been the case in the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31276/11]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 231 together.

IDA is an autonomous agency set up by statute with a mandate to attract foreign direct investment from manufacturing and internationally-traded services companies into Ireland, and to support new and existing FDI operations so as to maximise the related industrial employment, output, exports, economy expenditures including wages, and corporation tax contributions.

The management and location of IDA staff is a day-to-day operational matter for the Agency and not one in which I have a function. IDA decides where it needs its resources in order that it can meet its strategic goals. IDA Ireland's strategy, "Horizon 2020" sets out the Agency's targets for direct job creation in the FDI sector to 2014 of 62,000 direct jobs in 640 investment projects over the period, resulting in an additional 105,000 jobs overall in the economy. In implementing this ambitious strategy the Agency has also set specific regional goals of

· Securing 50% of all investments into locations outside of Dublin and Cork.

· Transforming the existing FDI base across the country to develop, retain and grow employment in client companies operating here.

In the context of achieving successful implementation of its strategy and challenging job creation targets, IDA is maximising efficiency through increasing the organisation's focus on business generation/client facing activities, which will ultimately benefit all regions. During 2010, a Business Transformation Process was carried out in IDA, which examined every job in the organisation. The outcome provided opportunities to free up staff resources for core business generation activities and needs to ensure that IDA meets its job targets.

The Agency informs me that the North West Region was in the unique position of having 2 offices; one in Letterkenny and one in Sligo. These have now been merged into one North West regional office in Sligo where the new North West Regional manager will be based, when appointed. IDA continues to have two people working out of the Letterkenny office and informs me that no staff cuts have taken place in Letterkenny.

Under the National Spatial Strategy, Letterkenny is one of 9 Gateway locations and will continue to be a key location of focus for the winning of foreign direct investments. The North West Region has 36 IDA client companies employing almost 5,000 people. Indeed, Letterkenny had 2 key client announcements in the past year with the 200 person expansion of United Health Group, who now employ over 400 people, and Zeus, who expanded their manufacturing facility and will create 75 additional jobs. Examples of other client companies in Letterkenny are Pramerica with 800 employees; Sita, 90 employees; Medisize, 140 employees and Abbot with 140 employees.