Written answers
Tuesday, 5 November 2019
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
IDA Ireland Site Visits
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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392. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of IDA visits conducted in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and in each quarter to date in 2019, by county; the number of visits to Galway city and county, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45028/19]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Regional development is a key priority for my Department. We understand the importance of achieving the best possible spread of employment and investment across the country and we have been working hard towards that goal. Significant progress has already been made, with 58% of all IDA client-supported employment now located outside of Dublin. This figure represents the highest such figure in the history of the Agency. Our aim remains to increase this percentage further by the end of this year.
When it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI), site visits do represent a valuable tool through which investors can be encouraged to invest in regional areas. However, as I have said before, site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential, as a significant percentage of all new FDI comes from existing IDA client companies. Site visit data is collated on a county by county basis and information on site visits to specific cities and towns is unavailable.
County Galway has hosted a total of 35 site visits as of the third quarter of this year and continues to be a strong performer in attracting FDI. The county has seen an increase in employment numbers with almost 1,500 net new jobs created by IDA Ireland client companies in 2018. The enterprise agencies under my remit will continue to engage with their clients and with one another to secure further investment and job creation for Galway and the West region.
The table below details the number of IDA site visits per county from 2016 until the third quarter of 2019.
| County | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Q1 2019 | Q2 2019 | Q3 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 9 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Cavan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Clare | 18 | 22 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 3 |
| Cork | 49 | 51 | 61 | 17 | 23 | 15 |
| Donegal | 7 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Dublin | 284 | 327 | 269 | 56 | 90 | 70 |
| Galway | 42 | 62 | 54 | 9 | 17 | 9 |
| Kerry | 3 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kildare | 8 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Kilkenny | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Laois | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Leitrim | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Limerick | 49 | 42 | 35 | 12 | 22 | 9 |
| Longford | 6 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Louth | 24 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
| Mayo | 5 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Meath | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Monaghan | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Offaly | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Roscommon | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sligo | 20 | 18 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Tipperary | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Waterford | 17 | 11 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Westmeath | 36 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Wexford | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Wicklow | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 638 | 682 | 607 | 159 | 213 | 169 |
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