Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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127. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of industrial visits organised by the Industrial Development Agency Ireland and by Enterprise Ireland for the past five years by location in constituencies (details supplied) by potential investors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3532/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a county-by-county basis only. From 2011 to 2015 there were a total of 94 visits – as set out in the attached table – by potential investors to Counties Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan.

As Enterprise Ireland’s core focus is supporting the internationalisation of indigenous companies, it does not arrange site visits of a type similar to IDA Ireland.

It is important to note that data on site visits is not an accurate measure of the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) activity in a region or county. That is partly because approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base, rather than new companies.

The Agency is continuing to work with both stakeholders and existing clients in order to attract increased investment in regional locations across the country. While IDA Ireland does attempt to influence the choice of location – and the Agency is committed to significantly increasing the number of investments outside Dublin – the final decision as to where to visit and ultimately locate is taken in all cases by the client company.

The true measure of FDI is reflected in IDA Ireland’s record 2015 results. IDA Ireland client companies created just under 19,000 (18,983) jobs on the ground during the year across a range of sectors, with every region of Ireland posting net gains in jobs.

Table shows the number of IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to Counties Cavan, Louth, Meath and Monaghan from 2011 to 2015.