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

I thank the Deputy. There are quite a lot of data centres in my constituency too. They are a very important part of the modern economy but in reality the amount of employment they produce is quite small. The number of people actually working in them is quite low. There are a lot of people working on them during construction, but not when they are actually up and running. The spin-off from them, realistically, is quite limited.

Probably the best thing we can do for Drogheda is make use of that new IDA Ireland land bank, ideally not for data centres but for some other form of industrial development that would be more labour intensive and would therefore create more job opportunities for people in the town, so that more people have the opportunity to work and live in Drogheda and not have to commute. On improving the commute, the best thing we can do is promote more remote working. That has made a big difference in people's lives in terms of more time at home and with family, and less time commuting. A project the Deputy and I are both very committed to is the extension of the DART to make commuting in and out of Dublin a more pleasant experience for those who do it.

See this speech in context