Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1220. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the reason figures for IDA Ireland visits can only be provided by county as opposed to by town; and the number of IDA Ireland visits made to Mullingar in the past seven years. [34570/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to say that foreign direct investment (FDI) has performed well in County Westmeath. There are currently 17 FDI companies in the County, employing 2,794 people. Three of these companies are located in Mullingar, employing approximately 150 people. Westmeath has also seen an 8.5% increase in FDI employment from 2016 to 2017.
Data on IDA Ireland site visits is collated on a county-by-county basis only. Site visits by IDA clients are commercially sensitive and are undertaken in advance of investment. A single company may make multiple visits to regional locations before deciding on investing. Given the relatively small size of many regional locations, releasing data on site visits to particular areas in a county could reveal the identity of prospective investors and have a negative impact on investment decisions.
Collating site visit data by county is also consistent with the IDA’s regional marketing strategy and is in line with how FDI is recorded internationally. Given the intense international competition in attracting mobile FDI, the concept of scale is crucial. The IDA therefore prioritises the marketing of urban locations within each region as they can address a number of requirements from prospective investors including the need for a talented and educated workforce, access to business support services and high quality infrastructure.
The following table outlines the number of site visits by IDA client companies to County Westmeath from 2011 to Q1 2018:
|
County |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
Q1 2018 |
|
Westmeath |
15 |
7 |
9 |
12 |
28 |
36 |
42 |
3 |
