Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We do not have any plans to change the IDA regions. No matter where these boundaries are drawn, there will always be people who argue they should be somewhere else. There are merits and demerits but we think including east Galway and Roscommon in the west rather than the midlands makes most sense. I take the Deputy's point on Athlone as a designated regional growth centre in Project Ireland 2040.

I will ask the IDA to examine those HSE lands to see if they are appropriate for acquisition. I am told that the IDA continues to market the available lands on the IDA Business and Technology Park in Ballinasloe to potential investors, including the advanced planning permission for an advanced technology unit on these lands, which are adjacent to Aptar.

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