Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the level of IDA-sponsored investment in western areas of County Meath in the period 2015 to 2019, inclusive, on a yearly basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30891/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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County Meath continues to be a strong performer in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) with 250 net new jobs added by IDA client companies in 2019.

In addition to the general support that IDA provides to client firms through advice and expertise on investing in Ireland, the Agency 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 to regional locations. Since 2015, IDA Ireland has paid out almost €0.5m in grants to client companies based in County Meath.

Meath has witnessed some significant announcements from multinationals from 2015 to 2019. In 2016, Shire announced plans to create 400 jobs as part of a $400m investment in a new biologics plant in Dunboyne. This plant was subsequently renamed Takeda Biologics and was acquired by MSD earlier this year.

In April 2018, PCI Pharma Services (PCI) announced the creation of 50 additional roles at its facility in Stamullen. In the same year, Facebook opened a new centre in Clonee which now employs over 300 people. In March 2019, Facebook announced that it is expanding its Clonee Data Centre. The company will add two new buildings which will bring the total facility to nearly 150,000 square metres.

In other parts of County Meath, the IDA continues to draw the attention of investors looking to locate or expand through its network of offices in Ireland and overseas. Last year, the IDA's Property Division met with the owners of the former NEC site in Ballivor to view the property as a potential location for foreign direct investment (FDI). The facility is included in an IDA Ireland database of marketable properties and it is being actively marketed by the Agency to prospective investors looking to invest in County Meath.

We have made progress in creating new economic opportunities in County Meathbut we are determined to achieve more. That is why we will continue to focus on regional development and to explore how we can create new jobs and investment opportunities for the people of Meath and the wider region.

IDA Ireland collects investment and job creation data on a county by county basis only. The table below outlines the amount of grants paid by IDA Ireland to client companies based in County Meath from 2015 to 2019.