Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)

Where I am coming from is that in the Cork area, the land bank IDA Ireland has in Ringaskiddy is now totally built on and there is very little space available for new companies to come in. Likewise, many of the private business parks have been developed, such as Blarney Business Park, which has seen huge growth in the past five to eight years and is running out of space. My question is about the Cork region and the identification of a land bank that could be made available for new companies to start up on or for companies coming from abroad to start up on. It is extremely important. We have had huge growth in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors, and in a lot of other sectors, in Cork. That is because we have the support of the third level colleges, which are producing the graduates to work in those companies. The question now is about a land bank that is needed outside Dublin for companies and we need to deal with it fast.

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