Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 July 2013
293. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide, on a county basis, a breakdown of the number of IDA Ireland sponsored visits for each year since 2010 and to date in 2013; and if he will explain IDA Ireland's strategy to ensure there is an equitable distribution of visits among counties. [36399/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of the number of IDA sponsored site visits by potential investors on a county basis from the beginning of 2010 to date in 2013 are set out in the attached tabular statement.
IDA has indicated that, in seeking to achieve balanced regional development and the broader goal of securing new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects for Ireland in a very competitive global environment, the concept of scale is crucial. In order to achieve balanced regional economic development, IDA prioritises the marketing of its Gateway locations within each Region as the locations of critical mass and highlights the opportunities provided by other locations on an opportunistic basis, which are within commuting distances of these Gateways.
That having been said, it must be acknowledged that some locations outside of Dublin and the main urban centres already facilitate the presence of a large number of multinational companies who have invested over the years, span multiple sectors and employ significant amounts of people. The primary opportunity for regional locations is in respect of the existing client base and potential further investment opportunities from same. Approximately 70% of all FDI investments won by IDA is from the existing client base.
I am determined to ensure that Ireland can continue to compete globally for foreign direct investment. In winning such investments, I am, however, mindful of the need to address the concerns that have been expressed to me by Deputies on all sides of the House about the relatively low level of site visits to certain regional locations. I have, accordingly, requested IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to work with my Department so that we can explore what further initiatives we can take to ensure we have a better approach to enterprise development in regional locations. This exercise will complement the in-depth analysis of our FDI strategy which is currently being undertaken. This analysis, will take account of factors such as key trends emerging in FDI best practice internationally, Ireland’s strengths in attracting FDI, the changes to the EU’s State Aid rules that will be introduced in 2014 and our approach to regional development will inform the formulation of an appropriate FDI strategy for the period post 2014.
Table showing the number of IDA sponsored site visits by potential investors
|
County |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 to end of June 13 |
|
Carlow |
3 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
|
Cavan |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
|
Clare |
7 |
15 |
14 |
5 |
|
Cork |
44 |
27 |
38 |
26 |
|
Donegal |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
|
Dublin |
197 |
150 |
196 |
124 |
|
Galway |
41 |
35 |
18 |
12 |
|
Kerry |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
Laois |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Leitrim |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
County |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 to end of June 13 |
|
Limerick |
38 |
40 |
30 |
20 |
|
Longford |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Louth |
25 |
26 |
12 |
2 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
Meath |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Offaly |
7 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
Roscommon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Sligo |
12 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
|
Tipperary |
1 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
|
Waterford |
11 |
11 |
26 |
13 |
|
Westmeath |
22 |
15 |
7 |
3 |
|
Wexford |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
Wicklow |
5 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
Note : These figures are NOT indicative of the number of companies that visited the country. Companies can visit more than one region and more than one location within a county. Therefore, these figures indicate the number of individual site visits made to various sites around the country.
