Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 140: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her plans to improve employment creation in County Louth by location; the plans of each State agency for each location in County Louth; the land banks held; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44808/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Two Industrial Development agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, together with Louth Couth Enterprise Board are responsible for inward investment and indigenous enterprise development in County Louth.

The County of Louth has a large concentration of IDA Ireland supported companies with nineteen clients employing nearly 2,200 people. The agency owns a total of 250 acres in the County. In order to cater for the specialised high utility intensive needs of the Biotechnology and ICT sectors, IDA Ireland is in the process of developing a number of large scale, fully-serviced industrial sites throughout the country. One of these sites is at Mullagharlin to the south of Dundalk. The site amounts to 150 acres in two parcels of 110 acres and 40 acres and is particularly targeted at Bio Pharma type activities. A €10m investment programme on the site has been completed. Planning Permission has been sought from Louth County Council for two generic bio Pharma facilities and ancillary offices and a notice of intention to grant planning has been received. In Drogheda, IDA Ireland has completed the development of a 63 acre site and construction of the first office building of approximately 23,000 sq. ft. on the Park has been finished. The agency has planning permission in place for over 120,000 sq. ft. of office facilities on the site.

There are 169 Enterprise Ireland companies employing 4,750 in Co. Louth. So far this year, Enterprise Ireland has approved funding of €4.1m to companies in the County and paid a total of €1.8m. Enterprise Ireland has already provided funding of €2,26m to six Enterprise Centres across the County. In the 2008 Call for Proposals, there were three applicants for funding for new Enterprise Centres in the County. Two Enterprise Centres were approved — one for Drogheda (Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce, Newsroom and Library Ltd) and one for Dundalk (Louth Craftmark Ltd) to be located in Muirhevnamor, Dundalk.

Louth County Enterprise Board is supporting individuals, firms and community groups where projects have the capacity to achieve commercial viability. Through the provision of both financial and non-financial support, such as advice, mentoring and training programmes, the CEB remains central in assisting many micro-enterprises in developing their growth potential. I am satisfied that the policies and initiatives being adopted will continue to bring industry and jobs to County Louth.