Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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406. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if consideration will be provided to making Drogheda, County Louth, a designated location for an advanced factory unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21259/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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At the launch of the Regional Action plan for Jobs in February this year, the Government announced that an additional €150m over 5 years would be made available to IDA Ireland for a capital investment programme to help attract more multinational investment and jobs into each region.

The programme will build on the recent investment by IDA Ireland in facilities in Athlone and Waterford and will include investments over the coming years in construction of advance manufacturing and office facilities in Sligo, Tralee, Castlebar, Galway, Dundalk, Limerick, Athlone, Carlow and Waterford. Sligo, Tralee and Castlebar are to the forefront of the 2015 investment programme with others scheduled to follow in subsequent years. Galway, Dundalk and Limerick are earmarked for 2016, while Athlone, Carlow and Waterford are earmarked for 2017.

IDA Ireland regularly assesses property requirements in Regions and has identified locations where quality building and site solutions would enhance the winning of FDI for a region, commencing with the nine identified locations over the next 3-5 year period. The locations identified provide a good offering to companies seeking to invest, for example, a good population base, the presence of a third level college, an existing base of FDI and indigenous companies and good transportation links.

In addition, it should be noted that the Advance Facilities announced recently represent less than half of total investment in property solutions as part of the new IDA Strategy. Significant resources will be invested in utility intensive strategic sites which have a track record of attracting FDI as well as a substantial upgrade of large sections of the existing Business Park network to ensure an attractive suite of investment location options are available to potential investors.

As the Deputy is aware, officials of my Department and its agencies are actively engaged with regional stakeholders in the development of individual Action Plans for each of the regions, including the North East Region, which will be published in the near future.