The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio is a day to day operational matter for the agency as part of the statutory responsibility assigned to it by the Oireachtas for industrial development and it is not a role in which I have a direct function. I understand from IDA Ireland that the new advanced factory, to which the Deputy refers, has not yet been built. Planning permission was recently obtained for the factory, which is to be located on a new 27 acre business and technology park on the Dunmore Road, Tuam, involving an investment to date of circa €3.5 million. In light of a shift in client needs, IDA Ireland is currently reviewing the building's design in order to ensure that the most up-to-date and suitable facility for attracting new industries is realised.
The industrial development agencies Enterprise Ireland, EI, and IDA Ireland are fully committed to the development of Tuam, which has been designated as a hub town in the national spatial strategy and is, therefore, very much a priority area for these agencies to develop. The agencies are actively promoting Tuam for new investment on an ongoing basis, with IDA Ireland seeking out foreign direct investment through its network of overseas offices and EI concentrating on the development of indigenous industries in the town. The new 27 acre park will significantly enhance the attractiveness of the Tuam area as a potential location for industry, and is an added selling point in the respective strategies of IDA Ireland and EI in their promotion of Tuam to potential investors at home and abroad.
I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by the development agencies, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development will bear fruit in terms of additional investment and jobs for the people of Tuam.
