Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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559. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the efforts of her Department and the IDA at attracting businesses to the new advanced factory in County Sligo; the expected completion date of this facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36162/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The advance facility being built in Sligo forms part of a €150 million IDA Ireland led property investment programme which will see the Agency build nine facilities across Ireland in order to encourage foreign direct investment to the regions. The construction of these facilities will support the jobs recovery by providing a supply of property solutions in advance of demand by existing and potential IDA clients. The Sligo building is currently under construction and it is expected that it will be completed by the end of this year.

The IDA is focused on winning FDI for Sligo, as well as the wider region, and the Agency continues to market the county to prospective investors. Site visits from part of the marketing process and IDA statistics show an upward trend in the number year-on-year. There were seven IDA Ireland-sponsored site visits to Sligo in 2014, with the number increasing to 15 in 2015. There were a total of 13 visits to the County in the first nine months of 2016 and statistics for the final quarter will be available early next year.