Vol. 497 No. 7
59 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her policy directive in relation to the industrial property portfolio of IDA Ireland, including Citywest business campus and the proposed Fingal business park, in view of the recent Supplementary Estimate for her Department which included £7.6 million for IDA Ireland. [26123/98]
The main elements of IDA Ireland industrial property policy are: IDA Ireland has a central role in ensuring there is adequate land zoned and developed for industrial purposes in specific locations; the private sector should be encouraged to take a much more active role in the provision of industrial property; the State should minimise its involvement in ownership of individual buildings and should, as far as is practical, dispose of its holdings of industrial property.
The management of the industrial property portfolio of IDA Ireland is a statutory function of the agency as laid out in section 16 of the Industrial Development Act, 1986. Under section 13, (2) I am precluded from giving directives to IDA Ireland which apply to an individual industrial undertaking. I have not given a policy directive in relation to the Citywest business campus or the proposed Fingal business park.
The Supplementary Estimate of £7.6 million is sought specifically for the development of a digital park at Citywest business campus. The establishment of a digital park is seen as an essential ingredient in the drive to capitalise on the rapidly growing telecommunications sector. IDA Ireland will take a 50 per cent share in the digital park at Citywest with the balance of the funding being provided by a private developer.
The decision by IDA Ireland to provide a new 120 acre business park in the Fingal area is in response to the requirement to maintain a land bank for promotion in Dublin and is a natural extension of the existing Clonshaugh industrial estate in Coolock.
