Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he is concerned that Ireland is overly reliant on the pharmaceutical sector for its exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51846/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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In seeking to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland, IDA Ireland’s strategy for the pharmaceutical sector has been to win leading company investment and to diversify the breadth of operations over multiproduct sites including associated services and development of new compounds. This strategy is being successfully implemented with the result that Ireland is now home to eight of the major global pharmaceutical companies and the world’s number one biotechnology company. Latest data show that the pharmaceutical sector employed almost 25,000 people in 2011 with exports valued at almost €40 billion.

The history of FDI in Ireland is the progressive addition of new sectors and business models enabled by new technologies and innovative policy interventions. Recognising that continued success requires a process of constant transformation and a move to higher value added products and outputs, IDA Ireland, in accordance with its Horizon 2020 Strategy, is focusing, in particular, on biopharmaceuticals, which represent the next wave of opportunity in the pharmaceutical industry. The Agency has successfully attracted and developed globally leading programmes from companies such as Allergan, Amgen, Centocor, Eli Lilly, Genzyme, Merck and Pfizer. Ireland now has a globally leading biopharmaceutical cluster in the next generation of Pharmaceutical products.

The success of pharmaceutical companies in Ireland reflects the targeted approach taken by IDA to this important global industry and the many advantages that Ireland has in terms of skills, track record, infrastructure etc. I am not concerned that this sector is thriving. We will always seek to maintain an appropriate mix in our industrial and enterprise base and the other areas that we are seeking to develop reflects this eg. ICT, Digital Content, Games, Financial Services etc. As this Government's policies begin to reverse the damage inflicted on the economy by over-reliance on construction, I would expect these other sectors to increase their volume of exports and associated jobs.