Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2016
130. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of IDA Ireland site visits to a town (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3684/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIDA Ireland maintains statistics of site visits by potential investors on a county-by-county basis only. From 2011 to 2015, there were a total of 128 visits by potential investors to County Galway. The year-by-year breakdown is set out in the following table. It is important to note that data on site visits is not an accurate measure of the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) activity in a region or county. That is partly because approximately 70% of all FDI investment won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base, rather than new companies.
IDA Ireland is committed to significantly increasing the number of investments outside Dublin and the agency continues to work with both stakeholders and existing clients with that goal in mind. While IDA Ireland does attempt to influence the choice of location, the final decision as to where to visit and ultimately locate is taken in all cases by the client company.
The true measure of FDI is reflected in IDA Ireland’s record 2015 results. IDA Ireland client companies created 18,983 jobs on the ground during the year across a range of sectors, with every region of Ireland posting net gains in jobs. Overall, there were 14,297 people employed in IDA Ireland client-companies in Galway in 2015, reflecting a net increase of 482 on 2014.
Site Visits to County Galway 2011-2015
|
Year |
Site Visits |
|
2011 |
35 |
|
2012 |
18 |
|
2013 |
15 |
|
2014 |
19 |
|
2015 |
41 |
|
Total |
128 |
