Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of positions created and retained in Kildare north through IDA-supported companies in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64192/25]

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. In this regard, regional development is one of four key strategic objectives of the IDA 2025–2029 strategy, "Adapt Intelligently" with a commitment to secure 550 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects outside Dublin - 55% of all planned investments. Additionally, the overarching goal is to create 75,000 new jobs nationwide and generate a projected €250 billion in economic impact with the IDA having set ambitious targets for every region in Ireland.

The IDA Mid-East Region comprises counties Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow. The Mid-East has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies. It has also won significant investment in the Food and the Film sub-sectors.

The Annual Employment Survey (AES) is completed towards the end of the year, consequently 2025 employment figures will not be available until January 2026. The 2024 AES showed there are 121 IDA client companies in the region, employing 20,470 people, with 45 of these in Co. Kildare employing 10,617 people. While 353 new jobs were created in Co. Kildare in 2024, there were 1,704 job losses with a net employment contraction in IDA client employment in the county of 1,351 in 2024. However, the FDI performance in the region has been positive over the past five years with employment among IDA clients increasing by 10%.

I can assure the Deputy that the IDA continues to do its utmost to promote all locations in Ireland, including Kildare, with the many advantages it has, but must stress that, ultimately, individual investors decide which counties to visit, and where to locate their investments. To this end, the IDA will continue to ensure Kildare is promoted, building on the success it has enjoyed to date as a successful location for IDA client companies.