Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if County Donegal has fallen behind other parts of the country in terms of job creation; if poor road and broadband infrastructure in the county is a contributing factor to the lack of new inward investment in the county in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41747/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The number of IDA Ireland supported jobs in Donegal in 2014 was 2,612. This represents a net increase of 758, or 41%, over the 2010 figures of 1,854. When evaluating inward investment it is important to note that approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base. Therefore, working with stakeholders is exceptionally important in positioning any regional location to attract FDI and IDA Ireland continues to do so, as well as working with existing clients in all regional locations. Given the global economic operating environment in recent years, the existing client base has performed well in not only retaining their presence in Donegal, but expanding the number of employees. The most recent example of this was the announcement in July of this year by Pramerica of the expansion of its facility in Donegal by 330 jobs.

Planning and provision of road and broadband infrastructure in County Donegal is outside of the remit of my Department, however, IDA Ireland works closely with the Local Authorities through established forums to ensure the North West continues to enhance its offering for prospective multinational companies. IDA Ireland supports the development of infrastructure that makes the North West a more accessible place to do business and works with stakeholders to see how all aspects of the North West can become more attractive from a client’s perspective.

Infrastructure plays a key part in enterprise development and collaboration and commitment across government agencies, local authorities and local businesses is vital. 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. The goal is to increase employment levels by a further 10 to 15 per cent in each region by 2020 and to ensure the unemployment rate is within 1% of the State average. The Action plan for the Border Region covering Counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth will be published by the end of November.