Vol. 566 No. 1
157 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the policy efforts which are being made to assist in attracting industry to the north-west region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11785/03]
IDA Ireland is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to the State and its regions. Over the past two years, IDA Ireland has radically changed its policy with the commitment to delivering half of all new greenfield jobs into the Objective One region in the coming years.
IDA Ireland cemented its commitment to the north-west region in January 2002 when Sligo became one of three towns nationally to be recognised as growth centres for inward investment. IDA staff responsible for the national development and promotion of the engineering and consumer sector are now headquartered in Sligo, with a unit of international services also based there. This is in line with the new regional focus of the agency, where key operational responsibilities are being placed in the regions where results are sought.
IDA Ireland is also working with Invest Northern Ireland, formerly the Industrial Development Board, to promote the north-west region as a single location for inward investment. A joint website has been compiled to promote the region. Letterkenny has been named as one of the new linked gateways recently announced in the Government's national spatial strategy and Derry has been named in the regional development strategy for Northern Ireland as a regional city for the north-west. A linked gateway is where two or more strong towns work in partnership to promote economic and social development in their region. The development of Letterkenny-Derry as a linked gateway will strengthen the attraction of the north-west as a location for foreign direct investment.
There is a need for foreign direct investment that helps redress regional imbalances. Large urban centres have inherent advantages for investments, especially for those that are competed for globally. The challenge of achieving high value FDI into regional locations is considerable and the development of linked gateways is an important tool in advancing this objective.
I am pleased that the chambers of commerce in the north-west cross-Border region have combined forces to progress agreed themes of common economic interest under the umbrella of the north-west chambers of commerce initiative. The group believes there is a great deal to be gained by working collectively on issues such as infrastructure, tourism, inward investment, education and training that will benefit the region as a whole.
