Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Dia dhaoibh ar Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan. Tá súil agam go mbeidh bhur tacaíocht agam. Táim ag tosú leis na Saincheisteanna Tráthúla agus is é an chéad ceann, in ainm an Teachta Michael Moynihan, ná to discuss the lack of availability of State-owned lands for industrial development in Charleville, County Cork.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish all women a happy International Women's Day and thank them for everything they do for us and for society in general. The question I have this morning relates to land for industrial development in Charleville, County Cork. Over the past 20 or so years, the Railway Road industrial park in Charleville, which was designated as an industrial site, saw a number of initiatives such as the business expansion scheme. All the sites on it have been developed. Charleville is an engineering capital. It developed out of the old Golden Vale long ago. Significant engineering works happen there, many of which have products they are producing and servicing which are among the top in the world.

Over the past while, the last sites that were available from IDA Ireland on Kilmallock Road have been taken up by a local indigenous company. The sites that were developed on Railway Road are now all occupied. Charleville is the heart of Munster. It is midway between Cork and Limerick. It is extremely well situated for business and prospective growth. People come to us who are looking for IDA, State-owned land to develop industry in the environs of the town. We do not have that land at the moment. Over the decades, IDA Ireland sought land in provincial towns such as Charleville and elsewhere. Over the years, that land has been developed. We have come to a juncture where IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Department must look at places like Charleville for further development. There is significant employment in the town. These indigenous industries provide significant potential for growth. They have contracts right across the globe for the product they are producing. Many are at the top of their field.

My question to the Minister of State is about what plans IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Department have to source more land within Charleville for industrial development there. The Railway Road side has all the sewerage, electricity, water and broadband connections necessary, which have been developed over recent years. Is it possible to acquire more land adjacent to that or to get more land elsewhere in the town or its environs so that we can facilitate people who are looking at Charleville as a place to start their businesses? People have come to us about it, including Ian Doyle, a local councillor. They work extremely hard. We recently talked about how people come to us looking for land and we do not have that option available. What plans do the Department, the Minister, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have to develop further lands? It could be done in conjunction with the local authority, Cork County Council, which would be forthcoming. We need an overall plan to ensure land is available for industrial development in Charleville and its environs.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus leis an Teachta. Guím gach rath agus ar gach iarracht ar an lá tábhachtach seo. I wish everybody a happy International Women's Day. It should not take a day. All of our good wishes should be given every day and we should learn every day. Is Seachtain na Gaeilge í freisin agus tá sé tábhachtach go mbainfimid úsáid as an Gaeilge gach seachtain den bhliain freisin. I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this important issue on behalf of Charleville. I know he and Councillor Ian Doyle work passionately for the interests of the community in Charleville. I share his interest, not just in that region but in the regions generally.

Balanced regional enterprise development is a key priority of this Government. IDA Ireland shares this priority. IDA Ireland is targeting half of all investments to regional locations. At the midpoint of its current strategy, 260 out of 491 investments won went to regional locations, which is well over half of the figure. Foreign direct investment is not the sole contributor to addressing the challenges facing our regions, but it can have a significant impact in propelling economic recovery and realising more balanced growth, as Deputy Moynihan referred to. In 2022, the numbers directly employed in IDA multinational clients in Ireland reached 301,475, the highest foreign direct investment employment level ever, with employment growth in foreign direct investment companies recorded in every region of the country.

Charleville and Cork County are marketed by the IDA as part of the wider south region, which includes County Kerry as well as Cork. There are 229 IDA companies in this region and 212 IDA-supported companies in Cork, employing 50,208 people. As Deputy Moynihan referred to, IDA has several business parks. In north Cork, they include Charleville, Millstreet, Fermoy, Kanturk and Mallow. The largest available land bank is Fermoy business and technology park, which has a total area of 8 ha. There are two IDA client companies in Charleville, RCD Engineering and SHV Energy, which collectively employ 260 employees. There are a further 11 IDA client companies located across north Cork, employing 1,700 employees.

The south west has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services and, as referred to by Deputy Moynihan, engineering and industrial technologies. It has also won significant investment across all of these sectors over a sustained period, which has contributed significantly to employment growth and positive economic impacts on other sectors of the economy.

The IDA has regular engagement with client companies and stakeholders in the county, and throughout 2023, IDA Ireland will continue to market Charleville and the south west and will arrange corresponding site visits as required. I will follow up with IDA Ireland regarding the Deputy's remarks and seek to meet with him about land availability in Charleville.

Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices also play a central role in supporting enterprise to maximise job retention and creation in all regions. Finally, nine regional enterprise plans were launched by my Department in early 2022 to reinforce regional enterprise development and job creation throughout the country. The south west regional enterprise plan encompasses Cork and Kerry and facilitates stakeholders to work collaboratively to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem and realise enterprise growth and job creation in the region. There may be possibilities under the south west regional enterprise plan to build on the engineering cluster in Charleville referred to by the Deputy. I am happy to work with him, the local enterprise office, Enterprise Ireland and the local educational institutions regarding that.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The issue here is how we build upon the successes in the engineering hub in Charleville that grew out of decades of Golden Vale. How do we make sure Charleville is available and able to have the critical infrastructure and land available if there is further industrial development? It is quite obvious there are people looking for land for development within the Charleville region. The land banks are there. There is very little left in Charleville. How do we ensure there is a collaborative approach between the Minister of State, the Department, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the local authority? I welcome the Minister of State's remarks about working with us and I thank him for that. Everybody is willing to do this but we need to be able to bring everybody together to ensure land is available. The industrial and engineering works will continue to grow. We have seen the massive expansion in BCD over the past while and this company will continue to grow because it has the expertise and fantastic people heading it up. We need to ensure a land bank is available. I ask the Minister of State to bring about co-ordination between all the State agencies to ensure this land bank is available for further development in Charleville.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am more than happy to work with the Deputy to facilitate that. The first place to start is with Cork County Council to see what available serviced land it has. Once we have an audit of available serviced land, we will engage with IDA Ireland and other enterprise agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the Cork local enterprise office regarding available opportunities in Charleville. IDA Ireland is very clear that it will continue to market Charleville and north Cork, where nearly 2,000 people are in IDA companies. I am more than happy to facilitate a meeting of information and minds regarding available land banks. I cannot make any commitments today but I will follow up.