Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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545. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of site visits made by IDA Ireland client companies to each county, on a county basis and in tabular form, in 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18104/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a quarterly basis. During quarter one of 2016, there were a total of 136 IDA Ireland sponsored site visits by potential investors to various locations throughout the country. The table sets out, on a county-by-county basis, the number of IDA Ireland sponsored site visits during this period.

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 because approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base, rather than new companies.

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.

While IDA Ireland does attempt to influence the choice of location, the final decision as to where to visit and ultimately locate is taken in all cases by the client company.

IDA Ireland Jobs Statistics 2015; Site Visits 2015 and Quarter 1 2016 by County

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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546. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of IDA Ireland visits over each of the past ten years to Longford, Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18112/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by IDA Ireland that, for reasons of client confidentiality and commercial sensitivity, the Agency collects data on site visits on a county basis only. The number of site visits for Longford, Offaly and Westmeath for the years 2006 to 2015 inclusive and the numbers for the first quarter of 2016 are following.

Since 2015 IDA Ireland has been working towards targets set out in their strategy “Winning - Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019”. For the first time, under this strategy, ambitious investment targets have been set on a regional basis whereby the Agency aims to increase the level of investment by between 30% to 40% in each region. The new strategy is already showing promise. In 2015, the number of site visits to all three counties, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, more than doubled when compared to 2014.

The Government is committed to achieving balanced regional development. Over the course of 2015 and early 2016, my Department published eight Regional Action Plans for Jobs, including a plan for the Midlands. The key sectors in the regions targeted in the plan include manufacturing, tourism, food and energy. Actions to be delivered over the period 2015-2017 include:

- A series of actions to promote 25% more start-ups in the midlands, including extra funding, mentoring programmes and establishing new incubator spaces for entrepreneurs like Offaly Innovation Centre (The Junction) in Tullamore,

- A series of actions aimed at attracting at least 25 additional multinational investment projects to the region by 2019, including building two advance facilities for Athlone, Appointing an IDA Ireland Regional Manager for the Midlands,

- Ensuring that key Agency personnel overseas have enhanced knowledge and marketing plans for the region,

- Establishing a Midlands manufacturing technologies campus.

The first Progress Report on the implementation of the Plan, covering the period to end-June 2016, will be completed and published in Q3 2016.

Site Visits by County 2006-2015 – Longford, Offaly and Westmeath

Site Visits by County Q1 2016 – Longford, Offaly and Westmeath