Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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176. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of visits led by the Industrial Development Agency for foreign direct investment companies to each county in the years 2010 to 2014 and to 30 June 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27324/15]

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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177. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of Industrial Development Agency assisted jobs created by foreign direct investment companies in each county in the years 2010 to 2014 and to 30 June 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27326/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 177 together.

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 in each of the years from 2010 to date in 2015 there were a total of 1,962 IDA sponsored site visits by potential investors to various locations throughout the country. The attached tabular statement (A) sets out, on a county by county basis, the number of site visits paid in each of these years.

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. 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. It is also worth noting that approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from the existing client base.

The attached tabular statement (B) sets out, on a county by county basis, the total numbers employed in IDA Ireland client companies in each of the years from 2010 to 2014, inclusive. Figures for 2015 will not be available until early next year.

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.

Number of IDA Ireland sponsored Site Visits by potential investors on a county by county basis from 2010 to date in 2015

Table showing on a county by county basis the total number IDA client companies together with the total employment figures in those companies in each of the years 2010 to 2014 inclusive