Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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64. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which Ireland continues to be an attractive location for foreign direct investment; the extent to which the State continues to compete with other locations both within and without Europe and the eurozone; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16786/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Ireland remains a global leader in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and competes with a range of jurisdictions across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Whilst this competition is increasingly intense, our country has a number of key strengths that continue to make us a highly attractive destination for FDI. These include our highly skilled workers, first-class education system and positive demographics. Our membership of the EU and Eurozone, pro-enterprise policy environment, and competitive corporation tax regime are other significant selling points.

Taken together, these strengths help the IDA make a compelling case to prospective investors about the merits of investing in Ireland. They also help to explain our strong national performance in terms of FDI-driven investment and job creation. In 2017, for example, the IDA's client companies created over 19,500 new jobs across a range of sectors, bringing total employment at FDI firms to 210,000.

Ireland clearly therefore does remain an attractive location for FDI. The Government is nevertheless conscious of our need to remain as competitive as possible. That is why it will continue to explore how to both reinforce existing strengths and find new ways of attracting job-rich investment to the country.