Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the progress made to date in the implementation in the West region of the IDA Strategy - Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021 – 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24972/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Regional development is at the centre of IDA Ireland's current strategy “Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021-2024”. Of the target 800 investments in the Strategy, half are targeted at regional locations.

As the Deputy may be aware, IDA Ireland announces mid and end year results. The latest results, released in December last year, show a very strong first year of this Strategy. Highlights of IDA Ireland’s performance throughout 2021 include the creation of over 29,000 new jobs in IDA supported client companies, bringing the numbers directly employed in the multinational sector in Ireland to 275,384.

The net number of jobs created in 2021 was 16,826 demonstrating the continued resilience of the existing FDI base. In total 249 investments were won, 104 of these being new name investments.

More than half (53%) of investments won during 2021 went to regional locations with every region experiencing growth.

IDA Ireland employment in the West region grew by 6% over the period. There are now 120 IDA supported companies in the West Region, employing 29,419 people in total. An additional 23,535 jobs are supported indirectly by Foreign Direct Investment in the West region with a payroll of €1,521m.

The FDI performance in the Region has been strong over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 32%. There is a significant ecosystem of well-established Life Sciences companies, which has helped drive strong cluster development. The number of people employed in software engineering, technical support, global business services and R&D in the Region has also grown considerably in recent years.

IDA Ireland completed an Advanced Building Solution in Galway in 2020 which is currently being marketed to potential investors. As part of the current Strategy IDA will deliver a second Advance Building Solution in Galway Business & Technology Park, Parkmore and one in Mayo. Ongoing site infrastructure upgrade works are progressing on IDA Parks in the region. IDA continues to work with regional stakeholders and the private sector on opportunities to add to the supply of competitive property solutions in regional locations.

The 2021 figures show a pattern of sustained, robust growth in FDI investment and FDI related employment over a continuous period of more than ten years. I expect the IDA's 2022 Mid-Year results to be announced in June.