Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the most recent occasion on which the IDA visited counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of new jobs that have been created by the IDA in the past 12 months; the steps it is taking to attract companies to the counties; the success it has had with the strategy for the counties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30264/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Business, Enterprise and innovation, and as an elected representative from Cavan-Monaghan, this topic is one that is close to my heart.  Regional development is a key priority of mine and I am focused on increasing investment in every county in Ireland. The IDA shares this objective and I am pleased that its results for 2017 show that 45% all jobs created last year were for locations outside Dublin. Every region in Ireland, including the Border Region, posted net gains in jobs last year and there are now over 122,000 people employed across 649 firms in IDA client companies outside of Dublin.

Employment numbers for 2018 will not be available until my Department's Annual Employment Survey is carried out in November 2018.  In the last year IDA client companies conducted two site visits to County Cavan and one site visit to County Monaghan. Site visit activity, however, does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as at least 70% of all new FDI comes from existing IDA client companies.

I want to stress that IDA Ireland is working hard to promote Counties Cavan and Monaghan to potential investors. The Agency has a dedicated regional manager for the North East/North West Region and has an office in the Cavan Innovation and Technology Centre.  As part of its strategy to encourage investment to the area, it is focusing on sectors including agrifood, manufacturing, tourism, internationally traded services and cleantech. The IDA also regularly engages with key stakeholders on the ground in Cavan and Monaghan, including with local authorities, public bodies, the education sector and companies from both its own client base but also from the indigenous sector.  IDA Ireland also owns lands in both Cavan and Monaghan that are being actively marketed to its clients.

It is important to emphasise that foreign direct investment only forms one part of investment in regional locations. Indigenous enterprise is responsible for a significant portion of employment growth, especially outside Dublin.  My Department and all its agencies, including Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs, work together constantly and collaboratively to ensure that jobs and investment are spread as fairly as possible across this country.

The success of this Government's strategy for regional job creation is reflected in Combilift's new €50 million Research and Development and Testing Centre in County Monaghan. This new investment will create 200 jobs and is an example of a home-grown Monaghan success story. The positive impact that Combilift has on the county, the border region and Ireland cannot be underestimated.  

I am pleased to say that Enterprise Ireland supported companies employed 10,817 people in Cavan and Monaghan in 2017.  Companies supported by the LEOs in Cavan and Monaghan employ a total of 2304 people, representing a net increase of 239 over the previous year. I think that these numbers clearly reflect the growing domestic industries which are so important to both counties.  

We recognise that there is room for improvement in Cavan and Monaghan and we are working hard, across Government, to further unlock the economic potential of the region. The Enterprise Agencies under my remit will continue to engage with their clients, and with one another, to create jobs and source new investment for the region.