Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2023
170. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he and his Department continue to ensure a steady supply of investment resulting in jobs in various areas and regions throughout the country, with a view to alleviating road traffic pressure and pressure on other services in the Greater Dublin Area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22327/23]
View answerOne of my Department’s priorities is to create employment and facilitate economic development across Ireland. A balanced flow of investment into the country is key in achieving this aim, and our performance is strong. At the end of last year, numbers directly employed in the multinational sector in Ireland reached 301,475, the highest FDI employment level ever, with employment growth right across the country. Over half of the 242 investments won in 2022 went to locations outside Dublin.
Government is working to ensure that investment in infrastructure aligns with enterprise needs and continues to benefit the whole country. This is reflected in the Government’s White Paper on Enterprise, which includes regional targets seeking to ensure that unemployment does not exceed one percentage point of the national unemployment rate in any region, and that at least half of all new FDI investments from 2021-2024 are located outside of Dublin.
To attract investment across Ireland, potential investors must be able to access high quality, reliable and competitively priced infrastructure. The White Paper on Enterprise specifically identifies the importance of addressing infrastructure gaps and enhancing the carrying capacity of the economy to sustain economic growth and competitiveness.
IDA Ireland’s current strategy, Driving Recovery And Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, contains a commitment to deliver 19 Advanced Building Solutions in 15 regional locations throughout Ireland under the Regional Building programme. The programme is progressing well, with the completion of 8 of the 19 properties as of Q2 2023.
This work is all grounded in policies set out by The White Paper on Enterprise, Project Ireland 2040, and the National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP provides the funding to develop infrastructure across Ireland to support economic growth. Accelerating delivery to support balanced economic development across the country remains key and Minister Donohoe recently announced a number of actions aimed at enhancing project delivery for the NDP, and my Department will continue to engage across Government to support delivery for enterprise and quality employment.
