Enterprise, Trade and Employment | To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Employment the extent to which foreign direct investment continues to be a positive feature for job creation in County Kildare and throughout the country

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Employment the extent to which foreign direct investment continues to be a positive feature for job creation in County Kildare and throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

Despite economic and social upheaval across the globe, Ireland has continued to attract foreign direct investment at record levels. Last year, numbers directly employed in the multinational sector reached over 275,000 – the highest level of employment from foreign direct investment.

In 2021, over 29,000 new jobs were created by IDA client companies. The benefits of these new jobs, as well as the 249 new investments won, has a positive impact throughout Ireland, with employment growth recorded in every region of the country.

In the Mid-East region, which includes Kildare, almost 19,000 people are employed in enterprises from overseas. This number has steadily increased by 8% over the last five years.

In 2021, there were 32 IDA client companies in Kildare, employing almost 10,000 people. Intel, Hewlett Packard, and Procter & Gamble all have significant sites in Kildare. Last month alone, investments were announced from Nikon Europe and MGS amounting to 140 new jobs for Kildare.

Kildare and neighbouring counties in the Mid-East region have a significant ecosystem of well-established companies in a variety of sectors: technology, life sciences, international financial services, and engineering and industrial technologies. In recent years, the area has also benefited from significant investment in the food and film industries.

As the Deputy is aware, in March, Minister English launched the Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan. Its objectives focus on the region’s areas of strength including on agri-food, screen content creation, the equine sector, the region’s acceleration to low-carbon and ensuring the enterprise ecosystem in the region is strong.

I also recently received Government approval to develop a new White Paper on Enterprise Policy. This is about ensuring we do not take our economic strength for granted and ensure job creation in counties such as Kildare can continue well into the future.