Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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364. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will give consideration to the request of a local authority (details supplied) regarding the need to attract inward investment and create employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17271/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Regional development is a top priority of mine and I am determined to help drive job creation all over Ireland. IDA Ireland’s strategy for 2015-2019 includes a commitment to increase FDI in every region outside Dublin by 30%-40%. The Agency made good progress towards achieving this goal in 2016, with 52% of all jobs created by IDA Ireland's clients last year based outside of Dublin.

In 2016 IDA supported companies created an additional 41 jobs in Cavan. There are seven IDA Ireland client companies in the county collectively employing a total of 1,203 people. Enterprise Ireland, meanwhile, supports 123 companies in Cavan that sustain a total of 5,221 jobs in the county.

I want to emphasise that IDA Ireland actively encourages clients to locate in regional locations. The final decision, however, always lies with the company concerned and can be influenced by many different factors including access to talent, proximity to transport hubs and the suitability of local infrastructure.

The Agency has informed me that their Senior Manager for Regional Development is happy to meet with Cavan County Council to discuss the issues raised in their recent letter in more detail.