Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will start by providing background information to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, to give context regarding the problem. The technology park in Tralee was built in 2001 as an innovative hub, not an office block, and therein lies the problem. At the moment a number of companies, including Aspen Grove, DCS Energy Savings and Donseed, have vacated the premises. Unfortunately, Altobridge has gone into liquidation and will also vacate the premises.

Initially it was envisaged that the facility in Tralee would be similar to the Digital Hub in Dublin and would allow technology companies to collaborate with each other, with the Institute of Technology Tralee, which is on the same campus, and with agencies of the State to promote, develop and create synergies. Shannon Development was the initial owner and landlord - it looked after the Shannon area but has since devolved and now the Shannon Group exists. Bizarrely, I am talking about jobs and a technology park in Tralee with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport - I cannot see how this fits.

We are in a predicament wherein we have worked against the flow of State agencies for 14 years. We could not give regional State aid similar to what applied in the Border, midland and western, BMW, regions but I am proud that I worked hard on this issue for the past three years. We have achieved to the extent that we are now at a competitive foundation level that will allow Kerry to compete with other counties. The crux of the matter is the Kerry Group took 800 local jobs to County Kildare so the focus shifted to the technology park. When Shannon Development was wound down we considered whether the local authority, investors on campus or the Institute of Technology Tralee could take over the technology park and run it with synergies in mind and within the ethos of today's culture.

I am referring to a conversation I had today when I say a person representing the biggest tenant, which has plans to develop, cannot convince senior management to commit to development investment in the technology park because it is not the same institution the tenant first bought into. I can give the Minister the telephone number of the person in question. Members of management of companies in the technology park are completely dissatisfied as it has gone from a digital hub to an office block. They pay premium rents and it is not the same as the environment in which they first invested.

Kerry Technology Park was supposed to be developed as a piece of infrastructure within Shannon Group. The remit of Shannon Group applies to Shannon Airport and related activities so Shannon Group wishes to take business from Kerry Airport and compete with it. Kerry Airport is a lifeline for Kerry Technology Park but the latter is owned by Kerry Airport's competitor. If Kerry Airport sees a downturn the same will apply to Kerry Technology Park and Shannon Airport will benefit. Surely there is a conflict of interest here. I have seen Shannon Group's strategic plan and so have other Members - all of this is in the strategic plan. There is a conflict of interest in the fact that Shannon Group is responsible for Shannon Airport and wants to take business from Kerry Airport while Kerry Technology Park, which is part of Shannon Group, is reliant upon Kerry Airport. At the moment the technology park is the only place providing employment in Kerry.

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