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

I agree. The acquisition of the extra seven acres by IDA Ireland from Louth County Council makes the entire parcel of land much more attractive to investment. The Deputy knows the geography of the area better than I do, but I know where the site is. The purchase has not just increased the footprint from 39 acres to 46 acres but has also made this a better-shaped site, if this makes any sense. As the Deputy said as well, it provides better access to the road and should make it easier to service. I do not have a timeline for the servicing of the site. I will keep putting pressure on IDA Ireland in this regard. I am conscious that, in the context of County Louth, there has been much investment in Dundalk. There has been a great deal in Drogheda as well, but perhaps not as much. The AWS development is very welcome in Drogheda and is positive in respect of attracting additional investment to the town. The number of jobs there is limited, though, and we want to ensure that we use this 46-acre site on the edge of the town for investments that will be jobs-rich. We want to bring in hundreds of jobs to that site and this is very much what we intend to do.

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