Mr. Martin Shanahan:

The Deputy has asked some reasonable questions. He has said there are "IDA Ireland jobs" in particular counties. They are company jobs. The ultimate arbiter on where jobs are to be located is where companies want to locate. That is the bare fact. IDA Ireland's job is to make Ireland as attractive as possible and then try to ensure all regions can compete. That is the purpose of the Action Plan for Jobs at regional level; to to try to outline what else can be done to make regions attractive. An action plan for the mid-east is in development and Meath should engage fully in that process and outline what it has to offer and see what else could be done or targeted for the region to make it attractive.

Travel to work times or to work zones does come into it. On the one hand, a company could locate in Meath as it could in Dublin because the workforce would be commuting to and from Dublin. However, companies see that if they locate in Dublin, they will have a huge array of amenities and a vast workforce from which to draw. Why would it not do this in the first instance? It is often the case. IDA Ireland will revisit all options regarding decisions on securing strategic sites.