Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

111. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an overview of the efforts his Department, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland are making in terms of attracting new businesses to locate in County Clare. [43722/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Clare has witnessed an 8% increase in employment in overseas companies since 2012 with over 500 net new jobs added to the FDI portfolio during this period. There are now over 6,700 people employed across 64 multinational companies in Clare. Recent investments of scale have been in Technology, Med Tech, Pharma and Financial Services sector. Clare has seen announcements from companies like Beckman Coulter, Edwards Lifesciences, Extreme Networks, Jaguar Land Rover in recent years and in the last year investors such as Exida, MeiraGTx, IQEQ, and OLED Material Manufacturing PPG have announced investment in Clare.

IDA Ireland actively engages with Clare County Council, Shannon Commercial Properties and other property owners and stakeholders on their development plans, and markets sites and property solutions across the Mid-West region through its extensive overseas network to both existing and new investors. The region is well positioned to continue to retain and attract new FDI investment and grow employment in existing companies and IDA Ireland will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders and parties in the region to achieve this objective under the Regional Enterprise Plan.

There are 143 IDA client companies in the Mid-West Region, employing 24,169 people. The FDI performance in the region has been consistent over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 29%. The Mid-West has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies sectors.

IDA Ireland is a member of the Regional Enterprise Plan Steering Committee for the Mid West Region and works closely with partners on the implementation of this Plan and continuing the strong spirit of collaboration and collective effort that is essential to delivering on the ambition for the Mid West Region.

In 2020, Enterprise Ireland companies employed 4,372 people in 140 plants in Co. Clare. Payments to Enterprise Ireland companies in Co. Clare in 2018 - 2020 were €8,765,263. This funding assists companies to innovate, be competitive and grow exports.

Enterprise Ireland’s regional team are working with companies in Co. Clare in a number of areas, including the Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme and REDF funded projects.

Enterprise Ireland launched the Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme to provide assistance, including funding supports, to regionally based not-for-profit undertakings that provide economic support to enterprises in sectors and regions negatively affected by Covid-19, as well as a consequence of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU (Brexit). This Scheme aims to offer a targeted solution to both existing and new Regional and Community-based projects that can demonstrate the ability to deliver impact and execute project deliverables in the current year. These not-for-profit projects should aim to improve the capability and competitiveness of regional enterprises and encourage entrepreneurial activity, productivity, and innovative capability in that regard. The Regional Team in the Mid West are closely working with applications in Clare and the Mid West Region, which closed out on 8th September 2021.

The Mid West team are currently working with REDF funded projects in County Clare such as the Clare Mez DAC, Future Mobility Campus Ireland and Emerald Aerocluster Company to attract SMEs to the county of Clare in their specialised sectors.

The Mid West Regional team at Enterprise Ireland are consistent in dealing with prospective SME clients of Enterprise Ireland on a one to one and ongoing basis in Co Clare. Enterprise Ireland sit on the Clare LEO Evaluation panel and New Frontiers review boards in LIT as well as reaching out to many representative opportunities and online events to attract start ups and SMEs to the County Clare and the mid-West Region.