Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minster for her reply which is encouraging. I do not want to paint the picture that nothing is happening in the area where MSD has created up to 800 jobs and Netwatch, a new indigenous company, employs approximately 200 people. I was keen to listen to what the Minister had to say about the strengths of different areas. There is potential in the south east for the new technological university, of which Institute of Technology, Carlow will be a key part. The property solutions and advance facility to which the Minister referred need to come on stream at the earliest possible date. We need facilities to cater for the graduates of the university in the future. An advance facility was available to MSD when it came on site originally. The original plan was that a number of companies would be attracted to the site, but MSD took over the entire facility and now employs over 800 people, which is hugely beneficial to the area.

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