IDA accused of ignoring Wicklow with less than 30 site visits in a decade
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow-Wexford TD claims County Wicklow has been ignored by the IDA over the past decade.
Fianna Fáil Deputy Malcom Byrne has obtained figures which show in the period 2015 to 2024, there have been just 29 visits to County Wicklow organised by the IDA for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) companies.
This is out of over 6,000 visits across the country.
The 2024 IDA Annual Report showed employment levels within the FDI sector remain above 300,000 for the third consecutive year.
The 2024 employment figure of 302,566 represented a slight increase (0.2%) in client employment over 2023 and accounted for 10.8% of overall national employment.
IDA Ireland’s portfolio now comprises more than 1,800 clients across a range of sectors in every county in Ireland.
Deputy Byrne has asked for clarity on why the number of visits is so low.
“The IDA need to be honest as to why there have been so few visits to Wicklow over the past decade and if there are issues with infrastructure or skills as to why they are not bringing companies to the county, they need to spell that out.”
“To tell the truth Wexford does not fare much better with just 41 visits in a decade and I worry that IDA headquarters don’t know that the M11 exists.”
In response the IDA highlighted that site visits are only one measure of a company’s interest in a particular location and may not be a true measure of the overall level of foreign direct investment activity in a region or county.
70pc of FDI won by IDA Ireland in 2024 came from its existing client base, rather than new companies.