Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, by county, a breakdown of the number of Industrial Development Agency sponsored visits for each year since 2012 and to date in 2015; and if he will explain the agency's strategy to ensure there is an equitable distribution of visits among counties. [26782/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by IDA Ireland that from 2012 to date in 2015 there were a total of 1,195 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to various locations across the country. Details of the number of these site visits during this period are set out in the attached tabular statement.While these site visits contribute to investment approvals and the creation of jobs, there is not always a direct correlation between site visits made and jobs created in any given year. It is important also to acknowledge the natural time lag between a decision being made to invest and that investment coming on stream.The time lag can be between 3 and 5 years in some cases. That time is required for such activities as locating and acquiring a suitable site for the company’s operations, constructing a facility, installing machinery and the recruitment and training of suitable staff. It is also worth noting that approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from the existing client base.

Earlier this year IDA Ireland launched its 5 year strategy for the period 2015 to 2019 which aims to create 80,000 new jobs in the economy over the period and increase investment into each region by between 30% and 40%. Additionally, a €150 million property investment plan, spread out over five years, will support the achievement of the organisation’s regional goals. The funding will be used to upgrade Ireland’s Business and Technology parks, make investments in a number of strategic utility-intensive sites and build new advanced technology buildings in a number of regional locations.

In February, the Government announced details of the Action Plan for Jobs: Regionalinitiative which seeks to capitalise on the strengths and assets of each region to maximise enterprise growth and job creation. The initiative will build on the success of the National Action Plan for Jobs, and encourage regional stakeholders - including enterprise agencies, Local Authorities, higher education institutions, other public bodies and the private sector - to come forward with innovative ideas to boost job creation in their own region.

In total, eight regional Action Plans will be developed and published this year. The first of these plans for the Midlands region covering counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath was launched on Monday 29th June. This plan sets out over 120 actions aimed to deliver enhanced employment growth in the region over the coming years with a target of increasing employment in the region by 10-15 % by 2020. IDA has been tasked with attracting 25-30 additional FDI investment projects into the region over the next 5 years while Enterprise Ireland is to increase the number of start-ups by 25% by increasing their flow of start-up companies through enterprise hubs and onto Enterprise Ireland’s competitive programmes. The overall ambition of the Action Plan for Jobs – Midland Region is to increase employment by approximately 14,000 by 2020.

Table shows the total number of IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors by county since 2012 to date in 2015.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the context of the Industrial Development Agency's Horizon 2020 strategy and the target that 50% of investments will be located outside Dublin and Cork, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of the agency's sponsored visits to Dublin which also visited Cork; and the number of the agency's sponsored visits to Cork which also visited Dublin, since 2012. [26783/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by IDA Ireland that information in relation to sponsored site visits by potential investors is provided on a county by county basis only and that from 2012 to the end of March in 2015 there were a total of 639 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to Dublin and 109 visits to Cork. Details of the number of these site visits during this period are set out in the attached tabular statement.

IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to specific locations in Ireland are only part of the long and complicated process involved in attracting foreign direct investment to this country. Some companies depending on their requirements may visit Dublin and Cork on the same itinerary or they may choose to visit either Dublin or Cork respectively. For reasons of client confidentiality and commercial sensitivity, IDA Ireland does not comment publicly on the success rate of such site visits. We must also remember that it is the investor in all cases who decides where to invest and an investment win for Ireland regardless of the location has to be seen as a plus for the country as a whole.

Earlier this year IDA Ireland launched its 5 year strategy for the period 2015 to 2019 which aims to create 80,000 new jobs in the economy over the period and increase investment into each region by between 30% and 40%. Additionally, a €150 million property investment plan, spread out over five years, will support the achievement of the organisation’s regional goals. The funding will be used to upgrade Ireland’s Business and Technology parks, make investments in a number of strategic utility-intensive sites and build new advanced technology buildings in a number of regional locations.

In February, the Government announced details of the Action Plan for Jobs: Regionalinitiative which seeks to capitalise on the strengths and assets of each region to maximise enterprise growth and job creation. The initiative will build on the success of the National Action Plan for Jobs, and encourage regional stakeholders - including enterprise agencies, Local Authorities, higher education institutions, other public bodies and the private sector - to come forward with innovative ideas to boost job creation in their own region.

In total, eight regional Action Plans will be developed and published this year. The first of these plans for the Midlands region covering counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath was launched on Monday 29th June. This plan sets out over 120 actions aimed to deliver enhanced employment growth in the region over the coming years with a target of increasing employment in the region by 10-15 % by 2020. IDA has been tasked with attracting 25-30 additional FDI investment projects into the region over the next 5 years while Enterprise Ireland is to increase the number of start-ups by 25% by increasing their flow of start-up companies through enterprise hubs and onto Enterprise Ireland’s competitive programmes. The overall ambition of the Action Plan for Jobs – Midland Region is to increase employment by approximately 14,000 by 2020.

Table shows the total number of IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to Dublin and Cork since 2012 to the end of March in 2015.