Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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71. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if an Industrial Development Agency office dedicated to County Kerry will be opened in the county, given the poor performance of the agency in respect of the county over the past 15 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35039/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland has informed me that it is satisfied that its footprint in the South West of the country is sufficient to meet the requirements for Foreign Direct Investment in both Cork and Kerry. Previously both the South West and the South East Regions were managed through the IDA Regional office in Cork, but as a full-time manager has now been appointed to the South East Region, the South West team is now focussed solely on Cork and Kerry.The agency markets Kerry as part of its South West region, along with Cork. There are 158 multinational companies based in the Region, employing a total of 30,419, according to the Annual Employment Survey for 2014 Figures for 2015 will not be available until completion of the survey early next year. Kerry has 12 IDA Ireland client companies, employing 1,874 people.

Companies supported by IDA Ireland in Kerry have added 361 additional new jobs between 2011 – 2014 (a 24% increase) compared to 502 job losses in the period 2008 – 2010 (a 25% decrease). It should be noted that 70% of new IDA jobs come from existing client companies, not from new investments.

Marketing of any regional area, including Kerry, for Foreign Direct Investment is done through IDA Ireland’s network of overseas offices. IDA Ireland actively incentivises and encourages investors to consider a range of potential locations in Ireland although the ultimate locations selected are always decided by the companies themselves.

Achieving a balanced regional dispersal of employment is challenging. IDA Ireland’s new five year strategy Winning – Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019contains a strong focus on regional development, setting forth aims and strategies to achieve a significant increase in investment going into regional locations. To support that aim, IDA Ireland is rolling out a €150million capital investment programme to help attract more multinational jobs into each region over a 5-year period. This programme will include investments over the coming years in building advanced technology buildings and office facilities in a number of regional locations to provide state-of-the-art property solutions for clients. Tralee is to be the site of one such advanced technology building.

A further boost to the county is the reinstatement of Regional Aid for Co. Kerry under the new Regional Aid Guidelines, which came into force on 1stJuly, 2014. The RAGs enable the State to grant State Aid, at enhanced rates, to businesses in order to support new investment and new employment in productive projects in Ireland's most disadvantaged regions. This funding for this comes from the Exchequer. This means that the full range of Regional Aid assistance options are available in Kerry.

As well as working to attract new investment into the region, an important focus for IDA Ireland is on supporting the needs of existing companies to help them to grow and develop, allowing them to add jobs.

In July 2015, IDA Ireland with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation launched the South West Regional Action Plan for Jobs , which highlights working with the other agencies and local stakeholders to improve enterprise development and identify job creation opportunities at regional level. IDA Ireland engages particularly with Enterprise Ireland regarding the supply chain that can be in a position to encourage and support Foreign Direct Investment.

It is important to recognise that only 8% of employment is in IDA supported companies nationally. The Action Plan for Jobs and the Regional Action Plans are committed to developing an indigenous engine of growth. In the period 2011-2014 Enterprise Ireland supported companies created an extra 370 jobs in Kerry (9% increase), while companies supported by the Kerry LEO added 85 new jobs in 2014 (5% increase).