Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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370. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of visits the IDA has carried out to Kildare towns and locations over the past five years; the locations and dates of these visits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2490/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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There were 8 site visits to County Kildare in 2020, 2 in 2021, 4 in each 2022, 2023 and to the end of Q3 2024 which is the latest data available. Reporting on IDA site visits is available on a county basis only.

I should add that site visits are only one measure of a company’s interest in a particular location and may not necessarily be a true measure of the overall level of foreign direct investment (FDI) activity in a region or county. For example, 70% of FDI won by IDA Ireland in 2024 came from its existing client base, rather than new companies. Also, potential clients visiting Ireland may visit more than one county and may return to a location more than once. The figures given, therefore, represent individual visits and are not indicative of the number of companies that have visited.

Currently, there are 121 IDA client companies in the IDA Mid-East Region comprising counties Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, employing 20,470 people directly and supporting many more jobs indirectly. The FDI performance in the region has been positive over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 10%. The Mid-East also has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies. There has also been significant investment in the Food and the Film sub-sectors. Counties in the Mid-East also benefit hugely from the direct and indirect employment generated by IDA client companies located in Dublin. County Kildare itself has 45 IDS_client companies, employing 10,617 people.

It should be further noted that the final decision on where to locate an investment is always decided by the client, and not by IDA Ireland, and it can take many years to convert from an initial site visit to a final project proposal. In this regard, regular engagement and collaboration with stakeholders is important in positioning any regional location to attract FDI and, in this respect, IDA Ireland continues to engage with stakeholders, as well as working with existing clients, in all regional locations to generate additional jobs.

The competition for FDI in the IDA's key sectors continues to intensify as countries increase their focus on self-sufficiency and economic security. However, Ireland’s value proposition for inward investment remains strong, 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.