Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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118. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he or his Department officials have met the Industrial Development Agency recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40522/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Since my appointment as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, officials from my Department have had on-going regular contact with IDA Ireland, both at Board and Executive level. In addition, I have regular informal discussions with IDA Ireland officials at various events including the media events surrounding some investment announcements

These regular meetings reinforce the Government’s and IDA Ireland’s commitment to delivering on-going foreign direct investment.

In that context I would like to point out that 2012 saw a strong performance in the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) won by Ireland with 12,722 new jobs being created in IDA Ireland client companies and I am pleased to say that this progress has continued in 2013. Despite a poor economic background in Europe and strong opposition from locations such as the Netherland and the U.K., mid-year results show that 70 investment projects, with the potential to create in excess of 7,000 jobs, had been won in the first 6 months of 2013.