Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

38. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the lack of IDA-hosted visits to Waterford in comparison to the other cities of Ireland and even Shannon and Athlone towns. [50768/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Regional development is a key focus of our Programme for Government and is central to the work of my Department and our Agencies. In that regard, regional development is a strategic imperative for IDA Ireland, and is one of four key strategic objectives of the agency's strategy ‘Adapt intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025-29' which includes the ambitious target of 55% of investments to regional locations over the next 5 years.

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. IDA Ireland invests in strategic property solutions in regional locations to facilitate investment. The key objective of the IDA property programme is to deliver agile, sustainable, flexible property solutions providing certainty to clients in advance of demand, and in regional locations that might not otherwise secure investment.

This includes the direct development of Advance Building Solutions, collaboration with Local Authorities on advance planning permits, and investment in infrastructure projects across the portfolio to meet evolving business needs. IDA is also focused on acquiring new landbanks and strategic sites to support future projects across all key sectors and in all regions.

IDA site visit data is available on a county basis. The following table outlines the number of site visits to Counties Waterford, Westmeath and Clare in 2023 and 2024 and up to Q2 2025:

While historical comparisons may show disparities in site visit numbers, it is important to note that over the past two years, the difference in the number of IDA hosted visits to Waterford versus other regional centres has been minimal. This reflects a targeted, balanced approach by the IDA in promoting regional investment opportunities.

IDA 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 potential clients have visited.

It should also be 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 initial site visit to final project proposal.

Regular engagement and collaboration with stakeholders are 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 employment.