Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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210. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the Industrial Development Agency Ireland's office in Letterkenny in County Donegal. [44140/15]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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211. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of site visits in County Donegal organised by the Industrial Development Agency Ireland for potential investors, for each of the years 2007 to 2014. [44141/15]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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212. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the numbers of new Industrial Development Agency Ireland supported companies that have located in County Donegal and the numbers of jobs created for each of the years 2011 to date. [44142/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 to 212, inclusive, together.

IDA Ireland's North-West regional office in Letterkenny is situated in the Colab building in the Institute of Technology. The office is manned by two permanent IDA Ireland staff; one dedicated regional official and one official from IDA Ireland's Engineering and Industrial Technology Division. The office is jointly shared with Enterprise Ireland. Donegal also has the additional resources of IDA Ireland regional staff in Sligo including a full-time manager focussed on the North-West region.

IDA Ireland is satisfied that its foot print in the North-West of the country is sufficient to meet the requirements for Foreign Direct Investment in Donegal. Marketing of any regional area including Donegal for Foreign Direct Investment occurs through IDA Ireland's network of overseas offices. IDA Ireland actively incentivises and encourages investors to consider a range of potential locations in Ireland. The agency markets Letterkenny as a gateway location for the region. The ultimate locations selected are always decided by the clients and not IDA Ireland.

There were 6 IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits to Donegal in 2014 and in 2015 there were 3 up to the end of September. It should be noted that 70% of new IDA Ireland jobs come from existing client companies, not from new investments. The numbers of IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits for the years 2007 to 2015 inclusive are set out in Table A attached.

IDA Ireland markets Donegal as part of its North-West Region, which also comprises Leitrim and Sligo. The main FDI activity clusters that have emerged in the North-West are in the life sciences and engineering sectors, particularly in the manufacture of medical devices and automotive components. There are also a small number of large employers in the financial services sector, particularly in Letterkenny and a growing pharma sector in Sligo.

The number of jobs in IDA Ireland client companies in county Donegal, as per the 2014 Annual Employment Survey, rose from 1,854 in 2010 to 2,612 in 2014. I attach the breakdown in Table B. The figures for this year will not be available until the 2015 Annual Employment Survey is published early next year. There are 41 multinational companies in total based in the North-West, employing 5,294 across the Region. 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.

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.

In addition to attracting Foreign Direct Investment to Donegal, I am very committed to encouraging start-ups and nurturing small, high technology companies, with potential for growth. There are 3,302 people directly employed in Enterprise Ireland client companies in Donegal. Enterprise Ireland has supported, through various programmes, 101 start-up entrepreneurs in Donegal in addition to a further 196 supported by the Local Enterprise Office in Donegal. A strong indigenous sector is also key to ensuring all the necessary supports are in place for potential FDI investors.

My Department published its North-East/North-West Regional Action Plan last month as part of the wider Actions Plan for Jobs programme. This regional plan seeks to maximise the strengths and assets of the region to support enterprise growth and job creation.

Table A

IDA Ireland-sponsored Site Visits to Donegal 2009 to end Q3 2015

Table B

IDA Ireland Client Company Jobs in Donegal 2010-2014