Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment if he will consider appointing a liaison person in the north west to act as a single contact for potential inward investment post Brexit in assisting with information and guidance on business support services with specific agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39765/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The North West Region is serviced by IDA Ireland offices in Sligo and Donegal supporting a base of 44 client companies who collectively employ 6,992 people in counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.  These companies represent high value manufacturing in sectors such as Pharmaceutical, Medical Technology, Engineering and International Financial Services.

The region is also well serviced with a range of Business and Technology Parks offering various infrastructure and property solutions to ensure that the region remains an attractive proposition for existing clients and potential new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).  The IDA and Enterprise Ireland work with other stakeholders in the region on novel clustering initiatives such as the Atlantic MedTech Cluster, TechNorthWest, ICT Fintech Cluster and Cyber Ireland North West Chapter.

The Regional Enterprise Actions Plans for the North West and North East Regions as well as the Regional Skills Forums work to ensure that the Border region is well placed to support existing and to attract new investors.  IDA Ireland also works closely with the Northern Western Regional Assembly and local authorities on ‘Placemaking’, Infrastructure and Property initiatives, all with a view to make the ‘receiving environment' of the region attractive as a possible location for talent and investors.

Remote working continues to be an opportunity in the future and will be considered as part of IDA Ireland’s new strategy 2021-2024. There will also be an increase in remote working opportunities offered by FDI particularly as the Covid-19 environment has accelerated this trend and provides further opportunity for client and stakeholder engagement (between Investment Agencies, Local Authorities, Education Training Boards, etc.).

The North West Regional Steering Committee includes the enterprise agencies and other local and regional actors and oversees implementation of the Regional Enterprise Plan for the North-West.  I am pleased to report that a Programme Manager has recently been appointed by the Local Authorities in the region to drive coordinated action and support implementation of the Regional Enterprise Plan.  The role for the Programme Manager is to support the Chairperson and the Steering Committee in the coordination and delivery of the Plan at an operational level.