Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

655. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the targets for FDI investment and jobs for each of the next five years in each of the State's regions. [14350/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Since 2015 IDA Ireland has been working towards targets set out in their strategy “Winning Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019” including the creation of 80,000 new jobs and 900 new investments, which would bring total FDI employment in Ireland to 209,000 by 2019. For the first time, the Agency aims to increase the level of investment by between 30% to 40% in each region.

The Government’s commitment to countrywide job creation is further illustrated by the Regional Action Plan for Jobs initiative. This initiative saw eight plans published throughout 2015 and 2016, which identified a range of actions aimed at supporting each region to achieve its economic potential and raise employment levels.

These new regional initiatives are already producing results. In 2015, IDA Ireland client companies created 18,983 jobs across a range of sectors, with every region posting net job gains. Moreover, 53% of those jobs are outside of Dublin, compared to 49% in 2014.

Employment in IDA Ireland client companies is now at the highest level in its 67-year history, with 187,056 people now employed in companies supported by the Agency. Of these, 59% (109,812) are employed outside of Dublin.

As part of the Regional Action Plans, IDA Ireland is set to invest €150 million over five years in property solutions designed to allow it to create opportunities to win additional projects for all regions. This will include the construction of nine new advance facilities around the country. This is a positive development for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into regional locations. It will provide access to modern property solutions which, when combined with a strong local talent pool and existing FDI cluster, will give these locations an enhanced proposition to offer international investors.