IDA Ireland has statutory responsibility, assigned to it by the Oireachtas, for the attraction of foreign direct investment to the State and its regions. Negotiations on grants or on the management of IDA's industrial property portfolio are day-to-day operational matters for the agency and not matters in which I have a function. IDA Ireland has informed me that it is actively marketing and promoting the facility at Athy through its network of overseas offices and is highlighting its competitive rental rate in comparison to locations like Dublin, etc. Enterprise Ireland is also actively promoting the facility as a location for business and to support enterprise in the Athy area.
Over the past 12 months, IDA Ireland completed three site visits to the facility, one of which was a recent repeat. That investor is still considering Athy but has to secure a contractual supply agreement with local multinationals before it could submit a business plan and proposal to IDA. This process could take up to six months.
In the meantime the disposal of the Athy facility remains a priority for IDA Ireland. It is the only IDA advance factory being marketed in the mid-east region and the agency informs me that no other advance factory will be constructed until this facility is occupied.
I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by the development agencies in the county, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development, will bear fruit in terms of additional sustainable jobs for the people of County Kildare.