William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA site visits to County Laois made in the past twelve months; the specific locations of these visits; the results to date of any such visits, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8238/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Data on site visits is available on a county basis and I am advised by IDA that there were two IDA-facilitated site visits to County Laois in 2024. The IDA also highlighted to me 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 locating in Ireland for the first time. It is also important to recognise that the final decision on where to locate an investment is always decided by the IDA client company, and not by IDA Ireland, and it can take many years to convert from initial site visit to final project proposal.

There are 52 IDA client companies in the Midlands Region, comprised of counties Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford, employing 8,045 people. The FDI performance in the region over the past five years has seen employment among IDA client companies increasing by 26%. In this regard, the region has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Life Sciences, Technology, Global Business & Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies.

In Laois, there are 5 IDA-supported companies employing 145 people. Over recent years, the IDA supported three significant FDI investments in the county. In July 2021 N’Ware Technologies, a Canadian software firm, announced the opening of its new sales and services centre in Mountrath, with the creation of 25 jobs. In July 2020, Greenfield Global officially opened its new €30m EU manufacturing headquarters in Portlaoise, to be supported by 75 employees. In 2018, Barracuda, a U.S. cybersecurity firm based on the IDA Business Park in Portlaoise announced the creation of 30 jobs.

The availability of suitable property and strategic sites is a critical component of the regional value proposition and can be the key differentiator in investment decisions in the regions from both new and existing clients as well as clients of Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs. IDA has made considerable investments in land, buildings and infrastructure across the Midlands Region and in 2022 IDA acquired c.18.46 hectares of land adjacent to the Business and Technology Park in Portlaoise and an additional c.4.25 hectares in 2024 with a total of c.29.66 hectares now available for promotion at the Business Park.

IDA Ireland’s intent over the coming years is to build on the strengths and competencies of the region with a particular focus on high value manufacturing, services, and research and development opportunities and IDA continues to work with clients to market County Laois as an investment location.

Site visits to Laois in 2024 are set out in the table below: