Adequate office and manufacturing facilities sought for Galway

The need for the Government to ensure a supply of adequate office and manufacturing facilities both in Galway city and county was raised in the Dáil by Galway West Fine Gael Deputy Sean Kyne.

Deputy Kyne said there has been considerable success in IDA Ireland-supported job creation initiatives, with more than 60 IDA Ireland-supported companies in County Galway creating jobs.

“More than 3,900 jobs have been created by IDA Ireland-backed companies since 2011, not to mention the indirect jobs created in small to medium-sized enterprises,” he said. “The Minister attended a recent jobs announcement in Galway at which I was present. In his contribution he asked the chief executive officer to let him know of issues he had. As the chief executive officer mentioned the delays he had experienced in sourcing an adequate building in Galway city, this is an issue that must continue to be pushed because it would be a sad day were it not possible to create jobs because of a lack of space or suitable buildings in a city such as Galway.”

In response, Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said as part of the regional Action Plan for Jobs 2015, he announced that IDA Ireland would invest €150 million over five years in property solutions designed to allow it to create opportunities to win additional projects for all regions.

“As part of this programme of investment, IDA Ireland is building nine advance facilities around the country, in particular in locations where the private sector has been slow to build,” he said. “This includes the delivery of an advance facility in Galway. In marketing Galway as part of the west region, IDA Ireland not only promotes its own property portfolio but, where appropriate, advises prospective investors of available privately-owned properties that may be suitable. Enterprise Ireland does not provide office space or manufacturing facilities directly, but it has given its support to the provision of innovation or enterprise spaces. For example, it funded the NUI Galway business innovation centre and the innovation in business centre at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, GMIT, which provide spaces for spin-out companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs to establish their businesses.”

Minister Bruton said the record results for 2015 for both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland show there are 21,575 people employed by client companies of the agencies in County Galway, an increase of 2,964 since 2011.