Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 October 2022
47. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the work that is being carried out to promote the IDA's 240-acre strategic site at Athenry, County Galway, to international investors. [53860/22]
View answerIDA Ireland has a number of strategic land holdings within the Strategic Economic Corridor as identified in the Galway County Development Plan. These lands include the Oranmore Strategic Site and the Athenry Strategic Site. IDA Ireland has delivered significant infrastructure upgrades to these lands in recent years in order to ensure the lands are serviced for potential investments of scale. IDA Ireland also notes the framework for the Galway Airport lands in the Galway County Development Plan as an additional investment location of scale within the Strategic Economic Corridor.
IDA Ireland, through its network of international offices, continues to market both IDA, Local Authority and Privately owned lands to potential investors and notes the strategic importance of the lands in the Strategic Economic Corridor. In this regard the IDA made a submission to the Galway County Development Plan 2022-2028 to support and further strengthen the Strategic Economic Corridor.
IDA Ireland continues to market the West region through its overseas offices to target mobile FDI opportunities, with corresponding site visits. IDA Ireland will be targeting Lifesciences, Medical Devices, Financial Services and Technology sectors for investment opportunities in RD&I, advanced manufacturing, global business services and technology development.
FDI cannot be the sole contributor in addressing the challenges facing Ireland’s regions – from Brexit to Covid-19, digital transformation to the climate transition – but it can have a significant impact in propelling economic recovery and realising more balanced growth.
The provision of property solutions is a key element in IDA’s marketing of Galway and the West Region. IDA Ireland actively promotes available buildings and land in IDA Business Parks and high-quality buildings in private ownership through our network of overseas offices. In Galway IDA has invested significantly in the provision of world-class property solutions.
IDA Ireland has supported a significant number of investments from client companies recently, such as Fidelity Investments, Rhenus, Medtronic, Trane Technologies and Cerenovus. These contribute significantly to economic development in County Galway, with many IDA Ireland client companies offering remote and hybrid working opportunities.
