Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the details of the regional IDA site visits and vacant properties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30225/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Regional development remains a priority for the Government. I am very much aware that an important part of unlocking the potential of regional Ireland is ensuring that foreign direct investment (FDI) is spread as evenly as possible across the country. The IDA is committed to increasing FDI in each region of Ireland and I welcome the progress made so far in boosting FDI-driven job creation outside of our main urban areas. In 2016, for example, over half of all IDA Ireland supported jobs created were based outside of Dublin.

While the IDA always highlights the benefits of investing in the regions to prospective investors, it is important to note that a company's decision on where to locate can be influenced by a number of factors. These include access to qualified talent, proximity to transport hubs and the availability of suitable commercial property. The final decision on where to invest is also always taken by the company concerned.

The following tables set out details of both IDA Ireland site visits from 2012-2017 and the current availability to investors of IDA properties.

Table (A) - IDA Ireland site visits from 2012 to Quarter 1 2017

Table (B) - IDA properties that are currently available to prospective investors