Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020
95. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of IDA site visits organised in County Donegal in each of the years 2010 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form. [41584/20]
View answer96. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of new companies that have located in County Donegal with IDA assistance in each of the years 2010 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form. [41585/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together.
Attracting investment and creating new jobs in regional locations, including County Donegal, is a major priority for both myself and my Department. The IDA has a significant role to play in helping us achieve that objective. The Agency has been working hard, through its staff both here and abroad, to encourage overseas investors to locate or expand in Ireland’s regions. The Agency’s performance in recent years demonstrates that these efforts are producing results. For example, 54,868 jobs were created outside of Dublin over the past five years leading to 33,118 additional direct jobs (net) on the ground in regions at the end of the IDA’s 5-year strategy.
Between 2010 and 2019 there were two new name investments located in County Donegal, one each in 2011 and 2012.
These statistics reflect one element of FDI performance, which is not accurately measured by the number of new-name investors. A more accurate reflection of FDI performance is demonstrated in the Annual Employment Survey which demonstrates a strong performance in Co Donegal over the last decade.
|
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
No.of Companies |
12 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
|
Total Jobs |
1,847 |
2,101 |
2,223 |
2,382 |
2,607 |
2,925 |
3,048 |
3,400 |
3,506 |
3,776 |
The table above details how Donegal, along with many other parts of the country, has benefitted from this strong regional focus. The County has experienced a significant increase in FDI-driven employment since 2010, with job numbers in IDA client firms there increasing from 1,847 in 2010 to 3,776 at the end of 2019. The County is now home to 13 IDA companies including Abbott, Optum and Pramerica.
The IDA’s experience, over many decades, has shown that the growth of existing overseas firms here can produce as many jobs, if not more, than new name investors. That is why the IDA focuses on both supporting the growth and expansion of its current clients here as well as securing new investors to locate for the first time in locations like Donegal. Pursuing that twin-track strategy has helped produce record FDI results in recent years and should lead to further investment and job creation in the years ahead.
While clear progress has been made in creating new jobs and economic opportunity in Donegal, the Government is determined to achieve more. Efforts will continue in 2020 and beyond, whether in support of indigenous or overseas enterprise, to help create more employment and economic opportunities in the County.
In November 2020, Údarás na Gaeltachta has announced that Swiss Consultancy firm, Pangea is to establish its operational hub for Finance, Human Resources and Operations in the Donegal Gaeltacht in Gweedore. IDA worked in partnership with Údarás na Gaeltachta to deliver this project.
The number of Site Visits to County Donegal for the period 2010 to 2019 and to date in 2020 are shown below:
|
County |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 to date |
|
Donegal |
4 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
8 |
12 |
1 E-Site Visit to Q3 |
Last year there were a total 12 site visits to Donegal. The introduction of international travel restrictions related to Covid-19 has, amongst other things, led to the cancellation or postponement of scheduled IDA site visits and client meetings in every region of the country, including Donegal.
As an alternative to site visits, the IDA has migrated many of its business development and client engagement activities to digital platforms. The Agency has developed new digital content and has also put in place an E-Site Visit experience for potential investors. There have been a total of 131 in-person site visits and 101 E-visits nationally as of the third quarter and this is the latest data available.
It should be noted that site visits are one measure only in 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. Potential clients visiting Ireland may visit more than one county and may return to a location more than once. These figures represent individual visits and are therefore not indicative of the number of companies that have visited. The final decision on where to locate an investment is always decided by the client and not by IDA Ireland. 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 jobs.
