Mr. Martin Shanahan:

We will examine the proposal, as we do on an ongoing basis. We receive input from all quarters including public representatives, county councils and the private sector regarding building sites and other property solutions. We will come back to the county manager regarding the proposal he has put forward. My colleagues are familiar with the building in question and we will re-examine it to ensure we are up to date before determining what, if anything, can be done and in what timeframe. We continue to market the building, as we do other public and private sector properties in the area. As the Deputy pointed out, Waterford was in the first round of locations picked for building advanced technology buildings. IDA commenced the programme last year for the first time in many years and it started in Waterford and Athlone. The Waterford building has just been constructed and commissioned. We have had much interest in both the Waterford and Athlone buildings and I hope we will see some activity in this regard soon.

We must go out and market these things. All this investment is hard-won. Although there is property available around the country, some of it is not of a standard or in a location that is suitable for the types of investments we are trying to win. We chose the locations for the nine advanced technology buildings announced yesterday on the basis of critical mass of population, existing enterprise base or cluster and the availability of a talent pool. In all locations there is a third-level institute, typically an institute of technology and in one case a university. They are in locations where they are marketable. This is because property is a key differentiator and having these turn-key solutions available is very important because it often makes the difference between winning and not winning investment.