AQW 950/22-27

Mr Maolíosa McHugh
Sinn Féin
West Tyrone

Tabled Date: 01/06/2022
Answered On Date: 22/06/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline how many foreign investment enquiries have been received since the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland came into effect, compared to the previous three years; and for his assessment of the figures.

Answer:

The new inward investment enquiry level since January 2021 is broadly consistent with levels in the in the previous 3 years and does not indicate an above average increase.

The breakdown for the previous 4 years and year 2022 to date, is as follows:

Calendar Year	Enquiries
2018	231
2019	139
2020	136
2021	143
2022 (to date)	70
Total	719
Average	162 (Full year average for 2018 to 2021 inclusive)

Northern Ireland’s compelling investment proposition is promoted on a whole of Northern Ireland basis and is focused on our talented and loyal workforce, advanced telecoms infrastructure, high skilled business clusters, a pro-business environment, competitive operating costs as well as proximity to major markets.

The Northern Ireland proposition is facilitated by close collaboration between business, academia and government.