2026-01-13

118. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of jobs the IDA supported in each county in the mid-east region in 2025; the way in which this compares with each county in the mid-east region in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1529/26]

How many jobs in each county in the mid-east region did the IDA support in 2025? How did this compare with each county in that region in 2020? Will the Minister of State make a statement on the matter?

Regional development is a key focus of our programme for Government and is central to the work of my Department and our enterprise development agencies. The mid-east region, comprising Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, is home to 126 IDA client companies employing 20,284 people. The mid-east has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services, and engineering and industrial technologies. The region has also won significant investment in the food and the film subsectors. FDI performance has been consistent over the six years requested by the Deputy, 2020 to 2025, with IDA-supported employment increasing by 973 people, or 5%, over that period. Employment in Kildare and Meath increased by 490 and 1,259, respectively, while employment in Louth and Wicklow decreased by 710 and 66, respectively. Over the period of its last strategy, 2021 to 2024, IDA Ireland supported the delivery of 973 investments and the creation of 76,790 jobs. Some 54% of these investments were won to regional locations. In the mid-east, 51 investments were won against a target of 40. Under the current strategy, the IDA is targeting 550 of a total 1,000 investments to regional locations, including 60 in the mid-east. The first year of this strategy, 2025, saw IDA Ireland achieving the highest ever number of investments, 323, a 38% increase on 2024, which are expected to create over 15,300 additional jobs in the coming years. We know that investments by IDA Ireland client companies consistently generate high-quality, skilled jobs nationwide. It is significant that 183 investments, representing 57% of all investments in 2025, were in regional locations.

I thank the Minister of State for that overview. As he knows, jobs matter. Our previous speaker, Deputy Fleming, spoke about jobs in Laois. Jobs matter to families, communities and to the long-term viability of each region. I am particularly talking about Louth. Distribution of IDA-supported employment across Louth, Meath, etc., is not just a statistical exercise; it is a test of whether regional development policy is working. It was mentioned previously that IDA companies employed over 4,000 people in Louth. That is a lot of people. It would be great to get an update on the plans the IDA have in Drogheda, County Louth. It has been granted planning permission for construction of offices and industrial spaces. This will be of huge significance to the area and county. Louth sits at the heart of the Belfast-Dublin economic corridor.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I acknowledge her question and her commitment to the people of Louth in regard to high-quality, skilled jobs. The Minister and I recently published the new national development plan and part of that capital plan is an emphasis on regional enterprise and supporting the regional ecosystem. That is around helping SMEs start, grow and scale, while supporting the IDA on next-generation FDI sites and on its regional property portfolio. That will strengthen innovation and capacity within the regions. With regard to County Louth, the IDA will commence the advanced building solution in Drogheda. It is also partnering with Meath County Council for the delivery of an advance planning permit for an ATB in Navan. That is the first step in activating the site, building on it and ensuring it is marketed correctly for the right sectors to ensure that jobs can go into the area. We are putting the public capital in place and ensuring that regional enterprise funding is allocated to each of the regions. We are supporting the IDA in that regard.

I thank the Minister of State. As I have said, Louth is at the centre of the Dublin-Belfast corridor. It offers scale, connectivity, a strong industrial base and a pipeline of skills. Dundalk is home to the newest university in the country and it will be a major asset to attract and embed high-value research-driven employment. The IDA sites in Drogheda and Dundalk provide a huge opportunity to grow the economy not only in the north-east but nationally.

We are very much focused on working with key State agencies, through Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, to ensure that we can continue investment across regions, including Louth. The most recently published report outlined that over 57% of all IDA investments, that is, 323 investments last year, were in the regions. That delivered huge positivity in the regions to ensure that people can work in their areas close to home. We have also committed a significant amount of research and development grants, totalling over €2.5 billion, to support 33,000 employees in terms of upskilling. We want to continue regional dispersion to address the imbalance in projects in urban areas while ensuring that the likes of Louth is also supported. There have been real success stories in retaining FDI investment in the area and bringing new investments to Louth.