Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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701. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions her Department in conjunction with IDA and Enterprise Ireland have taken to replace the jobs in the midlands since the closure of a factory (details supplied) and the announcement from a company (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34939/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland (EI) and Westmeath Local Enterprise Office continue to work hard to mitigate the impact of the job losses in Westmeath caused by the closure of the company concerned. Good progress was made in this respect in 2015, with a total of 750 new jobs being created in the county.

IDA Ireland, for its part, is engaging with both current and prospective clients about investing further in Westmeath and the wider region. A good example of positive investment into the county was the announcement last year by Patterson Pumps of a 30-person expansion at its manufacturing facility there. I am hopeful that more investment will be secured in the time ahead.

In terms of enterprise development in the Midlands, and in Mullingar in particular, EI supports entrepreneurs who are setting up start-up companies in manufacturing and internationally traded services. EI also aims to create new jobs by working with its existing established companies in the Midlands. The Westmeath Local Enterprise Office provides an important service too by supporting those who are looking to start or grow a small business.

The Action Plan for Jobs for the Midland Region is another key tool to help boost employment in the area. Launched in June 2015, its core objective is the creation of an extra 14,000 jobs across the counties of Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois by 2020. The Plan includes a series of actions aimed at attracting at least 25 additional multinational investment projects to the region by 2019.