Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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660. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will establish a local enterprise office in Drogheda, County Louth, following the recent referendum decision in the United Kingdom (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19131/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The role of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) is to promote entrepreneurship at the local level. The LEOs provide information, guidance and ‘soft’ supports to anyone seeking to start or grow a business. Subject to certain eligibility, they offer direct grant aid to microenterprises (10 employees or fewer) in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector which, over time, have the potential to develop into strong export entities.

As you may be aware, the Government Decision of April, 2012 provided for the dissolution of the 35 County Enterprise Boards and the establishment of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in each Local Authority area. On this basis the LEO Louth was established in the County Council Offices in Dundalk. My Department has no plans to deviate from this model.

The attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Ireland is the responsibility of IDA Ireland. The Agency also works to retain, transform and expand the existing base of FDI companies that have already invested and located in Ireland.

The new Regional Action Plans for regional development provide a structure for all the stakeholders in each region to work together in a collaborative manner to maximise future FDI investment potential, in conjunction with other economic development objectives such as indigenous industry and tourism. IDA Ireland has set new and ambitious FDI targets for every region in the country. IDA North East Region comprises counties Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. There are 33 multinational companies based in the North East, employing 4,556 across the Region. The highest concentration of companies is located in Louth (21), Cavan (7) and Monaghan (5).

IDA Ireland is constantly engaged with clients across its entire portfolio and in the months leading up to the UK referendum it engaged with clients and prospective clients in relation to the potential impact of BREXIT. IDA Ireland has in place a Team involved in strategic scenario planning. This team continues to work on ensuring that the Agency’s strategy is fit for purpose in light of the recent referendum results in the UK. IDA Project Managers are currently in contact with clients, and prospective clients across the globe and they continue to market a competitive value proposition to attract mobile foreign investment from global locations including the UK.