Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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357. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will direct the Industrial Development Agency Ireland to refurbish and upgrade the run-down industrial estates in County Kerry and to commence a programme of building new, more advanced properties to attract and locate potential enterprises, in line with the budget announcement to ensure the continuation of the agency's regional advanced facilities programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37528/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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In April of this year, IDA Ireland launched its new five-year strategy entitled Winning – Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019. The strategy has 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.IDA Ireland markets Kerry as part of its South West region, along with Cork. There are 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.

Finally, 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 1 July, 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. The funding for this comes from the Exchequer. This means that the full range of Regional Aid assistance options are available in Kerry.