Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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398. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons employed by businesses that received support from the IDA in 2018 and to date in 2019. [45116/19]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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405. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs created due to supports provided by the IDA 2018 and to date in 2019. [45123/19]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 398 and 405 together.

As Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, a central objective of mine has been to create the best possible environment for enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation. Attracting more foreign direct investment (FDI), and supporting the growth and expansion of overseas firms already located here, is an important part of that. There are currently over 230,000 people employed in companies that are supported by IDA Ireland, a number which we are working hard to increase further.

In addition to the general support that it provides to client firms through advice and expertise on investing in Ireland, the IDA is authorised by my Department to provide a range of particular financial supports in the form of employment, capital, research and development, environmental and training grants. These grants represent an important means of encouraging companies to invest in Ireland, particularly in regional locations.

In 2018, IDA Ireland paid a total of €91,046,527 in grants to its client companies. Grant payments however, are not necessarily linked to either the investments won, or the jobs created in a 12-month period. Grants are generally drawn down over the lifetime of a project which is normally over a period of three to five years. Some investments which result in job creation may not be grant aided and some well-established companies may no longer be receiving grant payments. It is therefore very difficult to determine the precise number of jobs created in 2018 and to date in 2019 that are attribute to grant payments.