13. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of investments the IDA is targeting in the midlands under its current strategy; its performance in midlands investments under the previous strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50579/25]

Sentiment score: 0.03

I thank the Minister for that overview of the midlands region but I am sure he will understand if I speak about Laois in particular. At the end of last year, there were 8,045 IDA-supported jobs in the midlands. Laois has 30% of the population of the midland counties but has only 1.8% of the IDA-supported jobs in the area. If one looks at the county-by-county list produced by the IDA, one sees that Laois has 145 IDA-supported jobs. It is a disgrace. I say that publicly. The total of 145 is, by a mile, the lowest of any county in the country even though the services in Laois are as good and as available as anywhere else. I was very worried by the Minister's statement. I would ask him to introduce the IDA to County Laois and to arrange a meeting for the TDs and the chief executive of Laois County Council on this. I was especially worried when the Minister said that the IDA wanted to partner with existing FDI investments that were already up and running in the midlands region and nationwide because that means it would exclude Laois. The county does not have those investments. It is remarkable that the Laois figure is so low.

Sentiment score: -0.04

I thank the Minister for that and, in particular, his commitment to help arrange a meeting between the TDs, the chief executive of Laois County Council and appropriate IDA officials - or Enterprise Ireland officials, while we are at it, because the figures for Enterprise Ireland in Laois are abysmally low as well. We are almost at the bottom. I will make a few key points. The Minister mentioned Leprino. That company provides 135 jobs. We hope we can get a replacement. It is a high-tech business. That replacement, however, would only maintain the jobs already in the county. Portlaoise is ideally located. It has the best road network in the country. It is on the M7. Thirty-two trains leave Portlaoise every day for Dublin and Portarlington. We have the best train service of any provincial town in the country. As regards the housing in Portlaoise, thousands of houses have been built in Laois in recent years, more than in any other county per capita. We therefore have all the facilities that are required in Portlaoise. The IDA has a 30 ha site already in Portlaoise. We want to see an advance factory on that site as urgently as possible. If we have that, we might have a location to bring clients to.

Sentiment score: 0.18