Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department and IDA Ireland are committed to supporting foreign direct investment (FDI) in every region and county in Ireland, including Wexford. CSO figures show that the unemployment rate in Wexford has decreased from 16,170 in 2011 to 11,478 in 2016, a reduction of almost 5,000 people.

This overall positive employment trend is reflected by the levels of FDI-driven employment in the County. There are currently 17 IDA Ireland clients based there, employing a total of 2,630 people.  Moreover, 2016 witnessed an increase of 6% in IDA client company employment over 2015.  The longer-term trends in Wexford are also encouraging: since 2009 there has been a 22% increase in total in employment in IDA Ireland supported companies.

Since 2012 there have been 717 newly created jobs by IDA Ireland supported clients in Wexford, this resulted in 244 total net new jobs bringing the total employed in IDA Ireland supported companies to 2,630 in 17 supported companies.

Examples of successes in the County Wexford include Clearstream Technologies Limited, a medical devices manufacturer, who announced at the end of 2014 the completion of a 50,000 sq. ft. extension to its existing facility.  Since its acquisition in 2011 by CR Bard Inc., the US-based medical device manufacturer, has added 160 jobs to its workforce, bringing its current headcount to approximately 400 people.  The completed expansion which is expected to support growth through 2019, will give the company the potential to accommodate up new positions as required.

Other positive examples of existing employers in the County include, Lake Region in New Ross employing approximately over 700 people, and Waters Technology, Wexford town – employing approximately 250 people. In addition, service operations such as Equifax (Rosslare), BNY Mellon (Drinagh) and Indos Financial (New Ross) all form a positive employment framework in Wexford employing between them in the region of 350 people.

Looking ahead, IDA Ireland is targeting - as part of its 2015-2019 strategy - an increase of investment in all regions outside Dublin, including the South East, of 30% to 40% by 2019. To achieve this, the Agency will continue to draw the attention of potential investors to the region's particular strengths. These include the South East's accessibility, its ports and its existing cluster of medical technology firms. 

The provision of available property solutions is also very important from an FDI perspective and in this respect there are three IDA Ireland sites and one private finance facility available to market in Wexford.  In 2016 there were seven site visits to Wexford with a further five to date this year. IDA Ireland continues to highlight the benefits of expanding or locating in the regions to its client base and it makes every effort to ensure that FDI is spread as widely as possible across the country. It is important to remember, however, that the final decision as to where to invest always rests with the company concerned. It is also the case that site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as at least 70% of all new FDI comes from existing IDA Ireland client companies.  

While FDI can play a huge role in increasing economic activity and reducing unemployment it is important to recognize it cannot form the sole economic development strategy for Wexford.  Indigenous companies also have a strong presence in Wexford. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland supported companies in the County employed 4,816 people. Enterprise Ireland has also funded two Community Enterprise Centres there which serve as important enterprise hubs. Local enterprise also continues to perform well and the Wexford Local Enterprise Office successfully secured funding for five projects under Enterprise Ireland's Competitive Fund for LEOs. Two other projects from within the county were also awarded funding under Enterprise Ireland’s Community Enterprise Initiative Scheme 2016. These projects included a South East Shared Asset collaborative project to expand the range of services in the South-East region. 

My Department and its Agencies will continue to do their utmost to ensure that further progress is made in the time ahead in terms of creating more jobs and reducing unemployment further.