THE IDA hosted 28 in-person and remote visits to Limerick for the first six months of this year compared to 12 in Clare, new figures have revealed.
Deputy Michael McNamara recently asked the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar to break down the number of site visits hosted by the IDA in counties Galway, Clare and Limerick this year.
A new survey has also found the total employment in IDA supported industries increased by 13.9% in the Mid-West compared to 15.2% in Dublin and 63% in the South East from 2012 to 2021.
What was also worrying was the Mid-West recorded one of the lowest increases in employment in IDA firms of just 2.6% from 2020 to 2021.
This was in contrast to the South-West, which enjoyed a hike of 10.8%, the Mid-East 8.4%, the South-East 4% and Dublin 5.3%.
Acknowledging the disparity between the number of IDA visits in Clare and Limerick, Deputy McNamara pointed out there has been a number of successful IDA investments in Shannon.
“There are a number of industrial sites in East Clare that are available and it would be great if the IDA concentrated on these locations. The IDA tends to concentrate on big urban centres more than rural areas.
“We should be looking at investing in former Shannon Development sites in Clare and throughout the Mid-West more broadly. This would also have environmental benefits. A lot of people are driving 25 miles each way to and from East Clare villages to their workplaces. There would be a much better environmental impact if people could source work locally.”
He said there still seems to be a concentration on attracting investment and jobs into the Dublin region, which is overdeveloped.
“There are difficulties around housing and infrastructure everywhere but they are particularly pronounced in Dublin and yet the IDA continues to try to attract new jobs into the capital when it clearly doesn’t even have an adequate water supply.
“Dublin is overdeveloped compared to the rest of the country. If the IDA has the same number of site visits in the Mid-West as in Dublin, the reality is they are effectively contributing to the imbalance that has existed for the last 20 years or so.”
Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar confirmed total employment in IDA client companies in Ireland now stands at 275,384 in 2021, up 16,826 on 2020, the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) employment level ever. Employment growth was recorded in every region of the country.
“IDA has worked hard to create a welcoming environment for FDI in all parts of the country and the strong regional spread of jobs and investment in the latest IDA results demonstrates the Government’s commitment to regional development.
“Over half of FDI investments in 2021 went to regional locations. Regional development is at the centre of IDA’s current strategy: Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, whereby IDA Ireland is targeting half of all investments from 2021- 2024 to regional locations.
“IDA Ireland won 155 investments up to the end of the second quarter this year. Notably, 73 of these new investments went to regional locations. These investments have an associated employment potential of over 18,000 jobs,” he said.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.