Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
645. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the IDA’s progress in securing a replacement industry for a company (details supplied) or any other activity the development agency might be generating in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39664/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrior to the announcement of the company closure in November 2015, IDA Ireland engaged with its management to try to find a way to retain the facility in the county. The company undertook then to work closely with IDA Ireland to find an alternative buyer for the site. While such a buyer has not yet been identified, the Agency continues to actively market the facility for new investors as a going concern. The IDA is aided in this by a detailed brief it has developed on the facility and its existing workforce.
More broadly, the Agency has been very active in its attempts to secure new foreign direct investment projects for the Mid-West over the past 18 months. IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits to the county, for example, have increased. There were nine in 2014, which rose to twelve in 2015. By the end of September this year, there had already been thirteen. Progress is also being made in terms of job creation. In 2015, employment in IDA Ireland client companies in the region increased by 6%, representing a net change of 1,052 jobs.
