Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
476. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Cahersiveen and Iveragh region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9358/26]
View answer477. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Killarney/East Kerry region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9359/26]
View answer478. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Cahersiveen and Iveragh region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9360/26]
View answer479. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Killorglin/Mid-Kerry region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9361/26]
View answer480. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Cahersiveen and Iveragh region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9362/26]
View answer481. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Castleisland region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9363/26]
View answer482. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Listowel region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9364/26]
View answer483. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Tarbert/Ballylongford region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9365/26]
View answer484. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps the IDA is taking to attract pharmaceutical companies and multinational companies to the south; the plans in place to bring companies to the Tralee region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9366/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483 and 484 together.
Foreign Direct Investment is a key element of our economic strategy, with investments by IDA Ireland client companies consistently generating highly skilled jobs nationwide including Kerry and the South-West region. Central to IDA Ireland's 2025-2029 strategy, ‘Adapt Intelligently’ is an emphasis on partnering with existing clients to identify opportunities to safeguard and strengthen long-term investment in Ireland, alongside attracting new investment to Ireland in FDI growth drivers including digitalisation and AI, semiconductors, health, and sustainability.
The pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland is a cornerstone of Ireland’s economic success, accounting for over €100 billion in exports. Over 50,000 people are employed in the industry. Ireland has developed a cohesive and integrated Life Sciences cluster consisting of highly innovative indigenous companies, large well-established foreign direct investment (FDI) multinationals, a continually developing world-class research base, along with a strong industry-focused clinical community.
IDA is targeting 550 of a total 1,000 investments over the 2025-2029 period to regional locations, including 155 in the South-West. 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. 183 investments, 57% of all investments in 2025, were in regional locations.
The South-West Region, comprising counties Cork and Kerry, is home to 245 IDA client companies, employing 53,535 people. There is a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies in the region.
In March 2024, Astellas, an IDA Ireland Japanese pharma client, commenced construction on a €330 million state-of-the-art facility in the Tralee Technology Park. This project is currently under construction and is projected to be fully operational by 2028. This is a transformative investment for Kerry. It will lead to significant job creation during the construction phase, and it will house more than 100 highly skilled science and engineering jobs on completion of the facility. As Astellas are already a significant employer in the Kerry region, operating an existing manufacturing site in Killorglin which attracts employees from across the county of Kerry, this recent announcement is a strong endorsement of what Kerry offers FDI investors.
Furthermore, in July 2025, Aenova, a leading pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation, announced a significant expansion of their Killorglin facility to enable development of innovative drug delivery systems in the future. This expansion is expected to create approximately 10 new highly skilled roles in the areas of RD&I, Pharmaceutical Technology and Analytics.
Importantly, a robust property and infrastructure ecosystem can be a key differentiator in winning FDI projects and IDA’s Regional Property Programme ensures the supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations as required by current and prospective clients of the IDA itself as well as Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs. In this regard, IDA’s Regional Property Programme 2025 - 2029 will consist of 23 projects across 21 locations in 8 regions and primarily manufacturing buildings, including partnering with local authorities to deliver an Advance Planning Permit in Tralee. IDA will also continue acquiring land and providing infrastructure to support clients across the portfolio of existing business & technology parks and strategic sites nationally, including in the context of developing next generation, strategic sites, including in Kerry.
IDA Ireland will continue to target investments from across the globe through its global network of offices, and to strengthen long-term investment through ongoing partnership with clients on new opportunities and talent development; to scale-cutting edge innovation and investment in RD&I; to drive sustainable change through investment in green and digital solutions; and to maximise regional opportunities.
Of course, my Department together with Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs, continue to support employment creation across the country, including in Kerry.
