James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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90. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the Industrial Development Agency Ireland's plans for Longford town, the county town of County Longford, and for Mullingar, the county town of County Westmeath; if the agency has initiated a feasibility study for future investment in the towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41893/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Midlands Region comprises Westmeath, Longford, Laois and Offaly. According to the 2014 Annual Employment Survey, which contains the latest available figures, there are 35 multinational companies based in the Midlands, employing approximately 3,800 people across the region. 6 of those companies are located in Co. Longford employing c560 people. In Co. Westmeath, FDI has performed well and there 16 companies employing c2,300 people. 3 of those companies are based in Mullingar, employing c150 people.

IDA Ireland’s plans for the Midlands Region, which includes the towns listed about, are incorporated into the Action Plan for Jobs: Midland Region which I launched on the 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 approximately 14,000 by 2020.

In June 2015, IDA Ireland appointed a dedicated Regional Manager to the Midlands Region and IDA Ireland will be targeting at least 25 additional FDI projects in the Midlands Region over the next 5 years. Supporting the increase in investment in this and all regions across the country will be a €150m property investment plan spread out over five years. 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. An advanced office building is planned for 2017 for Co. Westmeath as part of the programme. This is in addition to an advanced technology building, which was completed in 2014 in Athlone and is available for FDI investment.

IDA Ireland has put a digital marketing campaign in place to market the Midlands Region for potential investors and this is used overseas by IDA executives, to showcase potential locations within the Midlands Region including Mullingar and Longford. Currently, IDA Ireland positions the Midlands Region as having a strong cluster in medical technology and life sciences. The Midlands is home to key clients such as Abbott, Covidien, Integra, GeneMedix, Freund, Utah, KCI, and AMS. Examples of where the cluster effect benefits investment decisions include the announcement in 2014 by Jazz Pharmaceuticals and American Medical Systems, both located in Athlone, who are already seeking planning permission to expand after only two years. As well as the FDI sector, this cluster is supported by over 600 people employed in medical technology related industries from the indigenous sector, in areas such as manufacturing to delivery of elements of the supply chain.

Given the global economic operating environment in recent years, the existing client base has performed consistently and retained its presence. IDA Ireland actively engages with its existing client base to support them in growing their business to retain jobs and expand their existing footprint in the region. In this respect, Patterson Pumps, located in Mullingar, announced a 30-person expansion at the opening of its new manufacturing facility in September 2015.

The Succeed in Ireland initiative is supported by IDA Ireland, which partners with ConnectIreland to support any potential investors identified to locate in Ireland and Arc Consulting in Longford is an example of this in practice. IDA Ireland also has regular engagement with the Chief Executives of the local authorities of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly to ensure that there is a continuous line of communication open and a mutually supportive approach taken, considering the role that Local Authorities now have for economic development.