Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
409. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will outline the engagement the IDA has had with companies and potential FDI investors in County Louth in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37141/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraRegional Development is a key plank of the Government's enterprise policy, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise, and is the key focus of my Department's leadership of the Regional Enterprise Plans. Similarly, the IDA’s strategy 'Driving Recovery & Sustainability, 2021-2024', has an ambitious target of 800 investments over the lifetime of its current strategy and it will target half of all investments to regional locations.
The FDI performance in the Mid-East Region, which comprises counties Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, has been strong over the past five years. County Louth is home to 36 IDA Ireland client companies directly employing 4,485 people.
The timely provision of appropriate, cost-effective property and infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of multinational companies remains essential to winning FDI. In June 2021, IDA Ireland acquired two landbanks in Co Louth. These land acquisitions, with a combined total of c.157 acres are situated in Drogheda and in Dundalk and form part of IDA’s long-term strategic plan to position Louth and the wider region to compete for FDI investment.
IDA has also recently delivered an Advanced Office Solution on IDA’s Finnabair Business Park and an Advanced Business Solution building at IDA’s Mullaharlin Science & Technology Park in Dundalk. The agency also plans to commence the delivery of an Advanced Building Solution in Drogheda as part of the current strategy 2021-2024. Furthermore, the IDA continues to work with private sector commercial property owners, developers and Local Authorities to market other property solutions across all regions where they exist.
Recent announcements which demonstrate the excellent work being carried out in this area include
• ABB opening a multi-million-dollar R&D centre to drive technological advancements in pulp which will create 30 jobs in Dundalk which was announced in February this year;
• Panasonic Avionics' announced expansion of its European MRO (maintenance, repair & overhaul) facility in Dundalk in October 2022 which will increase its workforce at the site to 60 people with 30 additional jobs over the next 3 years; and
• Kaseya, a US IT management and security software company, who, in July 2022, announced plans to establish a new Centre of Excellence in Dundalk with the creation of 250 jobs over three years.
