Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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156. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the investments by IDA Ireland at a property (details suppled) in County Mayo; the planning status of the site; the process to update the status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23984/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland owns approximately 11 hectares of industrial zoned land on the Sligo Road in Quignashee, Ballina. Planning permission was previously obtained in 2004 for its infrastructural development, although that subsequently expired in September 2009. The site has, however, been concept master planned by the IDA to help demonstrate its potential to investors. The Agency also continues to actively market it to clients considering investing or expanding in County Mayo.

The IDA is assessing the potential of its land bank in the context of its upcoming new strategy. A revised planning permission application for this site in Mayo remains under consideration as part of that assessment.   

To date, IDA Ireland has spent approximately €383,800 on services for this site. These services include site investigation works, a traffic assessment as well as a utilities and services assessment related to the planning application. This investment also includes additional works in the form an environmental audit; geotechnical site investigations; design services for the potential procurement of infrastructure works on site; landscape treatment works and the concept master plan itself.  

More generally, County Mayo continues to be a strong performer in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). There are 17 IDA client companies in the County employing nearly 5,000 people. Mayo has experienced year-on-year increases in employment by IDA client companies since 2013 with 108 net new jobs created in 2019.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the strategy used by IDA Ireland as an alternative to site visits as a consequence of Covid-19 restrictions; the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on IDA strategy to date in 2020; and his plans to increase support to IDA Ireland to assist its operations. [23985/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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COVID-19 has presented undeniable challenges to our ongoing efforts to sustain and grow foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ireland. The introduction of travel restrictions around the world is already disrupting the typical way in which the IDA engages with investors, resulting in fewer numbers of site visits and client meetings. The pandemic has also impacted investor confidence and has likely caused some investment decisions to be delayed or postponed.

As an alternative to site visits, the IDA has migrated many of its business development and client engagement activities to digital platforms. The Agency has developed new digital content and has also put in place an E-Site Visit experience for potential investors. 

My Department has approved a number of supports that will assist the IDA in its efforts to attract further FDI. As part of the 2020 July Jobs Stimulus Package, the Government approved additional funding of €10m for the IDA to undertake new marketing and promotional activities. The Government also announced funding of €25m for the Covid Life Sciences Products Scheme which can be accessed by IDA clients to aid the research, development and production of medicinal products in Ireland that will be used in the fight against COVID-19.

Notwithstanding the challenges posed by this pandemic, IDA Ireland's results for the first six months of this year have demonstrated the resilience of our FDI base. The Agency has secured over 130 investments to date in 2020, which have the potential to create almost 10,000 jobs. Almost half of these new projects were secured for locations outside Dublin, with 53 investments from companies investing in Ireland for the first time.

I believe that these 2020 investments reflect our continuing attractiveness to overseas firms. Multinational companies continue to value our FDI strengths. These include our talented and flexible work-force, a track record as a successful home to global businesses and a hard-won reputation as a pro-enterprise jurisdiction. Our continued commitment to the European Union, the single market and Eurozone, as well as to free trade and multilateralism, are other key selling points that help us convince multinational companies to establish operations and create jobs here.  

At the same time, we do recognise that the global competition for FDI is intensifying and we are under no illusions that the time ahead will prove more challenging. We will have to fight, harder than ever before, for new investment projects and the jobs that go with them. I look forward, as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to taking on that challenge. This will include working with the IDA on the formulation of a new strategy that will guide the Agency's work in the time ahead.