I am informed that IDA Ireland continues to engage with Central Pharma in respect of the pace of progress with its project at the Advanced Technology Building in Tralee, as the Deputy will be aware. The most recent information provided by the company, in October 2023, is that it is actively recruiting for 2 open vacancies. Furthermore, Central Pharma has also invested in fitting out the building to support its proposed activities as permitted in the lease they have with IDA Ireland and are currently meeting their financial obligations under the lease agreement. Moreover, the company has stated that they have been pursuing opportunities to grow market presence together with renewing focused marketing activity for the site. IDA will remain in close contact with the company on its future development plans.
More generally, the number of people employed in IDA Ireland client companies in Kerry continues to grow. Over the past 9 years there has been a 21% growth in the number of people employed by IDA client companies in the county. In September 2023, Astellas Pharma Inc announced its intention to build a state-of-the-art facility at an approximate cost of €330 million on IDA’s newly acquired lands in Kerry Technology Park, bringing highly specialised engineering, science and technology roles to the region. The new facility, which is subject to planning, will consist of a 3-story building, total floor area of 17,000 square metres on a 44-acre site on the Kerry Technology Park, Tralee. This will be Astellas Pharma’s second manufacturing site in Kerry with the company’s existing manufacturing plant in Killorglin.
IDA Ireland continues to maintain a focus on land banks and strategic sites to future proof its property portfolio in regional locations to support the project pipeline, including in County Kerry. I can assure the Deputy that IDA Ireland will also continue to promote Ireland and Kerry as a location for their business and will continue to position Kerry for virtual and in-person site visits to prospective companies in 2023 and beyond.
