Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by IDA Ireland that there is one IDA client company, Patterson Pumps, located in the Mullingar Business and Technology Park. This park is fully zoned and serviced and having a company located on the park makes it a more attractive proposition to present to other potential investors.

IDA Ireland markets Mullingar as part of IDA Ireland’s Midlands Region, which consists of counties Longford, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Roscommon. The Midlands Region has a strong cluster in Medical Technologies and Life Sciences companies (Abbott, Covidien, Integra, GeneMedix, Freund, Utah, KCI, AMS) and a number of International Business Services companies (Teleflex, AXA, NPD Group and PPD). These international brands are an attraction for additional companies to potentially locate to the Midlands.

At the end of 2014, there were 35 IDA Ireland client companies located across the midlands region, employing 3,800 people in full and part time employment, with 16 of those companies employing 2,300 people located in Westmeath.

In order to support its marketing effort, the IDA has invested in specific marketing materials for the region and has launched the digital Invest in Midlands initiative, which is used by the IDA regional and overseas teams to market what the Midlands has to offer a potential investor, and covers all aspects of the region such as the clusters of companies, business parks, infrastructure, talent, lifestyle and the overall business environment offered by the region.

During 2014 IDA Ireland arranged 13 site visits by potential investors to the Midlands Region. The IDA has informed me that although there are no specific current active leads in relation to the Park in Mullingar, it is also important to note that it can take between 3 and 5 years in some cases for a project to come on stream.

I have been working with my Department on the development of a framework for the formulation of Regional Enterprise Strategies that will enable us to identify the sustainable competitive strengths of each region and to better integrate the efforts of the enterprise development agencies and other regional stakeholders in supporting enterprise growth and jobs in areas of potential. A key element of this process is the Regional Enterprise Forum, which I chaired in Athlone on 19 December last. I hope to publish the framework strategy shortly. The Regional strategy will be rolled out firstly in the Midlands before being rolled out in other regions and will include specific actions and targets on the part of my Department, the enterprise development agencies and other public bodies to promote enterprise growth and job creation in the region.

Additionally, IDA Ireland is currently finalising its new strategy to cover the 5-year period from 2015. I look forward in the coming weeks to launching this strategy which will detail the goals and the broad direction IDA Ireland will take to accomplish those goals over the next five years.