Construction work on Cardinal Health's headquarters was due to begin in early 2002 and it was hoped to be operational by 2004, creating almost 1,400 jobs by 2006. As part of the agreement with the Tánaiste and Cardinal Health executives, Longford County Council was asked to provide land for the company at a cost of £3.5 million with a view to selling the land at a fixed price. Cardinal Health would immediately carry out an environmental impact study on the effects of this production on the site. Since purchasing the land, Longford County Council has been incurring interest charges of €190,000 per annum. Cardinal Health was to provide a mixture of employment, including IT, packaging services and industrial and manufacturing jobs. It would require a wide skill base and attract migrants back to the county.