Vol. 482 No. 5
13 Mr. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress, if any, made by the IDA in attracting new industry and jobs to Mullingar, County Westmeath; and if her Department will build an advance factory on a site to be provided by the local authority. [18261/97]
The announcement earlier this week that Oxford Health Plans is to establish a claims processing centre in Mullingar, with significant support from IDA Ireland, is a significant breakthrough. It marks a further move to regional locations of international services businesses and in the first major project of its type to locate in the midlands. Oxford Health Plans, at full capacity, will employ 500 people in Mullingar and will locate in a 25,000 sq ft IDA advance facility at Clonmore, Mullingar.
The arrival of Oxford Health Plans to Mullingar will not only create employment directly, it will also have major spin-off and indirect job creation effects and will place Mullingar firmly on the map as a quality location for international service business.
In line with Government policy, all advance factories are now provided by the private sector. If a private investor comes forward with a proposal to IDA Ireland to build a suitable factory in the Mullingar area, IDA Ireland will market the building to overseas inward investors.
