Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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304. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress which has been made regarding the purchase of industrial land (details supplied). [7943/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland markets Loughrea as part of its West Region.  Under its current strategy, “Winning Foreign Direct Investment 2015 – 2019”, the Agency has set ambitious foreign direct investment (FDI) targets for every region in the country. This includes an increase of 30%-40% in the number of investments for the West Region.

To support the delivery of these regional targets, an IDA Regional Property Programme was launched by the Government in February 2015.  This Programme includes the delivery of Advance Technology Buildings (ATBs), infrastructure investment in a number of sites and the upgrade of business and technology parks across the Agency’s national portfolio.

In the West Region, ATBs will be constructed in Castlebar and Parkmore East under the Programme. Planning permission was also approved in August 2016 for the construction of an advance office building in Galway, which will be delivered through a Public Private Partnership.

IDA Ireland will continue to work closely with Galway County Council to ensure that there is sufficient industrial and commercial zoned land available in Loughrea, and in the wider area, to facilitate further foreign direct investment in the region.