Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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419. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if specific investment incentives are being built into the NDP to attract foreign direct investment and indigenous enterprise to Cork, Limerick and the wider southern region in order to support the National Planning Framework objective of balanced regional growth. [48391/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Regional development is a key focus of our Programme for Government and is central to the work of my Department and our enterprise development agencies.

IDA Ireland partners with clients and key stakeholders in all regions in pursuit the Agency’s objective to maximise regional opportunities. IDA Ireland’s regional strategy has a proven track record of success, and the agency is committed to building on this in the years ahead. Under its current strategy “Adapt Intelligently” 2025-29, IDA Ireland is targeting 1,000 investments, with 550 in regional locations outside Dublin and has set ambitious investment targets for every region in Ireland.

To support the delivery of these client investment targets, IDA Ireland operates offices in Cork and Limerick, working closely with local stakeholders, including County Councils, to attract new investment. In addition, IDA Ireland has a range of enterprise supports available to support client companies’ transformation and growth. These include programmes to drive competitiveness, digitalisation and operational efficiencies, upskill employees, support companies' transition to sustainability, and scale innovation through research and development supports and are available to IDA client companies across the Southern Region.

Enterprise Ireland supports Irish-owned businesses to grow and scale, particularly in regional areas, by investing in infrastructure, innovation, and collaboration. My Department also progresses regional development through nine Regional Enterprise Plans, developed and led by regional stakeholders which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region and foster enterprise growth.

Enterprise development across Ireland’s regions is underpinned by the National Development Plan which supports economic, social, environmental and cultural development across all parts of the country under Project Ireland 2040, in parallel with the National Planning Framework (NPF), which sets out the overarching spatial strategy for the next twenty years. The first revision of the NPF was completed earlier this year and reaffirmed the commitment to balanced regional development. The review of the National Development Plan, published shortly thereafter, in July 2025 highlights balanced regional development as a driver of capital need.

The review of the NDP also calls attention to the Programme for Government commitment to improve Ireland’s infrastructure, including in the areas of housing, water, energy, and transport, and prioritises development accordingly. These areas are key to offering both indigenous enterprise and foreign direct investment the certainty they require as they plan their future investments in Ireland.