Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 February 2023
176. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a visit has taken place to a location (details supplied) in the past twelve months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7869/23]
View answerIDA Ireland has weekly engagement with client companies and key stakeholders in County Mayo. In the West Region there are 126 IDA supported companies, employing 31,490 people in total. There are 17 IDA supported companies in Mayo employing 5,525 in total. There has been a 34% increase in employment in IDA Ireland supported companies in County Mayo between 2012 and 2022. There was one in-person site visit in Mayo in 2022.
The provision of property solutions is a key element in IDA’s marketing of Mayo and the West Region. In that regard IDA, as part of the Regional Property Programme, has delivered an advance technology building to Castlebar, which has been occupied by Meissner Filtration Products, with a second advance building solution due to be delivered. Moreover, IDA Ireland works in partnership with Local Authorities, other key stakeholders, and the private sector, on the provision of both lands and buildings to support both the IDA Ireland, MNCs and Enterprise Ireland client company requirements.
In relation to the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) at Ireland West Airport Knock, IDA Ireland has visited and met with key stakeholders over recent years. While IDA Ireland has not had any company site visits to the SDZ, IDA Ireland continues to engage with the relevant stakeholders on the Ireland West Airport Knock SDZ, through the West Regional Enterprise Plan which include specific objectives aligned to the SDZ.
More generally, the West Region has a significant ecosystem of well-established Life Sciences companies, which has helped drive strong cluster development. The number of people employed in software engineering, technical support, global business services and R&D in the Region has also grown considerably in recent years. Furthermore, the city of Galway is a crucial part of the West’s attractiveness to FDI aligned with Project Ireland 2040 which includes Galway as one of four cities with ambitious population growth targets to 2040.
Finally, in 2023, IDA Ireland will continue to market Mayo and the West through its overseas offices to target mobile FDI opportunities. IDA Ireland will be targeting Lifesciences, Medical Devices, Financial Services and Technology sectors for investment opportunities in RD&I, advanced manufacturing, global business services and technology development.
