Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Minister of State is saying about the indigenous sector being important, but the question was about FDI and the role of the IDA in funding that. It is a fact that there was no funding invested by Government through the IDA in Meath last year. It is also a fact that there is a business park which is owned by the IDA outside Drogheda, in County Meath which is almost empty, apart from one very important industry. It is also a fact that the Kells area was designated for Government support, yet last year nothing came through the IDA. That is not to say that there is nothing else happening in Kells, but the IDA needs to have a much greater focus on County Meath and support it financially. There are parts of the county that will stand on their own two feet, so to speak, and which are doing really well, and we are very proud of those towns and everyone who puts the work in to achieve that, including the IDA. We must not forget about other parts of the county where support is needed and where we really need FDI. We have a history of FDI. We want to continue that and bring more industries into the county.

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