Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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78. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the number of IDA site visits for County Carlow in each quarter of 2020 to date; the percentage of visits in the county as a percentage of the number of visits nationally in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34718/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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County Carlow has witnessed a year on year increase in employment by IDA client companies in the past five years with over 480 net new jobs added since 2015. There are now over 1,200 people employed across five IDA client companies in the County. I am determined, together with IDA Ireland, to increase these numbers further as best we can.

The IDA has a strong focus on regional development, including for the South-East. Last year there were 9 site visits to County Carlow, which accounted for approximately 20% of all site visits in the South East region. The Deputy will appreciate that the introduction of international travel restrictions related to Covid-19 has, amongst other things, led to the cancellation or postponement of scheduled IDA site visits and client meetings in every region of the country, including Carlow and the South-East. This year, there was 1 site visit to Carlow in Q1 with no site visits in Q 2. This accounts for approximately 1% of site visits nationally.

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. There have been a total of 120 in-person site visits and 39 E-visits nationally as of the second quarter and this is the latest data available.

Notwithstanding the difficulties presented by the pandemic, site visits do remain an important means by which the IDA can showcase regional locations – including Carlow – to prospective investors. At the same time, we must recognise that the final decision as to where to invest rests solely with the company concerned. It is also the case that site visit activity does not necessarily reflect investment potential or job creation, as a significant proportion of all new FDI comes from existing IDA clients already present in the country.

Looking to the future, IDA Ireland will continue to draw the attention of multinationals looking to invest or expand in County Carlow. The IDA continues to engage with key stakeholders on the ground in Carlow including local authorities, the education sector, Enterprise Ireland, Carlow's Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and both overseas and indigenous companies with a view to generating new employment opportunities. Regional development, including for the South-East, will also be at the heart of the forthcoming new IDA strategy. I look forward to working closely with the IDA on the completion of this new strategy to guide the Agency's work in the time ahead.