John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 364: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of site visits to County Waterford, Dungarvan and Waterford City over the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37468/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The marketing of individual areas, including Waterford, for new or expansion FDI investments and jobs is a day-to-day operational matter for IDA Ireland. I have been informed by the Agency that there have been 8 site visits to Waterford City and none to the County in the past twelve months.

In Waterford City, IDA Ireland continues to market its new Business and Technology Park on circa 28 hectares on the Cork Road (M25). In Dungarvan, the Agency owns 14 hectares of land, adjacent to its Industrial Park in the town. Phase 1 of the site development has been completed and the first client has been secured.

The recently announced "Invest in Waterford" initiative, led by Waterford County Council, is welcomed and is extremely useful in terms of its value to the overall marketing drive for foreign direct investment in the County. In particular, the collation of important information on skills availability in Waterford will be useful data to present to prospective IDA clients.

Belview is a key strategic site developed by IDA Ireland to attract a cluster of cutting-edge multinational utility-intensive industries to the South East. The recent announcement by Servier that it is investing €115m to establish a new high-value manufacturing pharmaceutical facility at the site was particularly welcome. The creation of some 155 new jobs in this sector will help in marketing this area for further investment.

I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by IDA together with the ongoing commitment by Government to regional development and the National Development Plan will bear fruit in terms of investment and jobs for the people of Waterford, Dungarvan and the region as a whole.