I propose to take Questions Nos. 445 and 446 together.
IDA Ireland’s park in Drogheda is currently home to one financial services company and has approximately 3.6 hectares of additional marketable lands available for investment. The IDA also owns additional sites across County Louth with almost 3 hectares of marketable land in the IDA Business and Technology Park at Finnabair, Dundalk and approximately 30 hectares of marketable land at the IDA strategic site in the Dundalk Science and Technology Park at Mullagharlin. In addition, the Agency continues to engage with local stakeholders in Drogheda and maintains an updated inventory of private sector greenfield sites zoned for development, available office accommodation and flexible working spaces.
This combination of private sector property offerings, along with the IDA’s land holdings, places Drogheda and County Louth in a competitive position to compete for mobile foreign direct investment (FDI). The Agency continues to draw the attention of existing and prospective investors to the County through its network of offices in Ireland and overseas. The IDA will also continue to actively monitor and review the commercial property offering in Drogheda.
More broadly, County Louth continues to maintain a strong base of FDI with 29 IDA client companies in the County employing 4,428 people. In 2019, Louth witnessed a 12% increase in employment in overseas companies with 486 net new jobs added last year. While progress has been made in helping to generating new investment in County Louth, the Government remains determined to attract more FDI there.