David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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137. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA visits with potential employers to each county in each of the years 2013 to 2023, in tabular form. [38732/24]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA visits with potential employers to each of Waterford’s six local electoral areas in each of the years 2013 to 2023, in tabular form. [38733/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together.

Regional development is a key element of the Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise, and is a key focus of the work of my Department and our Agencies. In that regard, IDA Ireland is committed to the pursuit of balanced, compact regional development and is targeting that at least half of all investments - that is 400 of 800 - from 2021 to 2024 to regional locations. In the first half of 2024,131 investments were won against an increasingly challenging global operating environment with 56% of these secured for regional locations.

The competition for FDI in our key sectors, continues to intensify as countries increase their focus on economic security. However, Ireland’s value proposition for inward investment is based on offering a safe and stable investment location with access to the EU market, an educated and skilled workforce, an attractive environment where people want to live and work, a competitive, consistent and transparent corporate tax regime and an excellent return on investment.

Moreover, investment by IDA Ireland through its Regional Property Programme aims to ensure the supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations to remain competitive in attracting FDI to the regions. IDA Ireland continues to engage with current and prospective clients to promote Ireland as a location for their business and facilitates both virtual and in-person sites visits for companies. The use of digital platforms by IDA has contributed to an enhanced digital engagement with existing clients and in hosting e-visits with potential new investors.

Site visits are recorded on a county basis. The data on the number of visits to IDA sites by County since 2013 are set out below with figures reflecting both in-person and e-visits. Data is not maintained by local electoral area.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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139. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs created with the intervention of the IDA in each county in each of the years 2013 to 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38734/24]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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140. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs created with the intervention of the IDA in each of Waterford’s six local electoral areas in each of the years 2013 to 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38735/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together.

Regional development is a key element of Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise, and is a key focus of the work of my Department and our Agencies. In that regard, IDA Ireland is committed to the pursuit of balanced, compact regional development and is targeting that at least half of all investments - that is 400 of 800 - from 2021 to 2024 to regional locations.

IDA has over 1,800 client companies within its portfolio employing 300,583 as at the end of 2023, with employment levels above 300,000 for the second consecutive year. Employment in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) companies now accounts for over 11% of the workforce. Additionally, my Department estimates that for every 10 jobs generated by FDI directly, another eight are created in the wider economy. This translates to over 540,000 direct and indirect jobs supported by FDI at the end of 2023, almost 20% of the workforce.

The total number of regional jobs now stands at 163,471 as at the end of 2023. The Midlands Region saw the strongest level of growth in 2023, up 5.8% on 2022 levels. There was also growth in the Border Region (up 2.7%) and Mid-West Region (up 2.6%) with the South-West and South-East Regions up by 1.2% and 1.4% respectively. Elsewhere, job numbers in IDA clients in the West Region was down by 1.8% whilst Dublin and the Mid-East Region declined by 1.2% and 4.8% respectively.

As requested, the number of persons employed in IDA client companies, in each county, from 2013 to 2023 is set out in the table below. This information is not available at the local electoral area level.

The number of IDA-supported jobs for each of the past ten years is shown by county below: