Written answers

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Regional Development Initiatives

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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128. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to establish an IDA taskforce in the midlands in order to improve job creation in the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52441/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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This Government is strongly committed to regional development and my Department and its agencies are working towards ambitious targets to ensure that employment and investment are evenly distributed across the country, including across the Midlands.   

The Midlands Action Plan for Jobs remains a key policy tool for supporting employment in that area. The second progress report on the Midlands plan was published earlier this year and it showed that substantial progress has been made towards that goal. The region, for example, was the second fastest growing in the country in the year to Q2 2017 with numbers employed up 5% to 122,400.  The unemployment rate in the region has also dropped to 8.3%, representing a reduction of 4.2% since Q1 2015. My Department and its enterprise agencies continue to work together to implement the Midlands Action Plan and I am confident that the employment situation will continue to improve in the coming year.

In terms of specific efforts to encourage multinational-driven employment in the region, IDA Ireland markets the four counties of Mullingar, Longford, Laois and Offaly together as part of the Midlands region. There are currently 30 multinational companies based in the Midlands, employing 4,280 across all four counties. The Agency is determined to increase those numbers and it has appointed a dedicated Regional Manager to the region to further aid its efforts to grow investment in the wider area.

The IDA is also investing directly in property solutions for foreign direct investment in the Midlands and has received planning permission for one office building in Athlone, which should be ready for occupation in 2018. This is in addition to an advanced technology building which is now occupied by a pharmaceutical firm.

In addition, the Agency has undertaken a number of general initiatives in the Midlands region to encourage investment. This has included introducing indigenous companies to multinational firms so that Irish businesses are best placed to win new contracts and thereby ensure their long-term sustainability. The Agency has also launched a digital marketing campaign to market the Midlands Region to potential investors. The Agency regularly engages as well with the Chief Executives of the relevant Local Authorities to ensure that all parties are working together to help win new investment and jobs.

 

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