Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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181. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when sites will be identified as suitable for the location of large scale data centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42985/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In 2017 IDA Ireland appointed Jacobs Engineering, supported by AOS Planning, to identify potential strategic land banks in Ireland that would be particularly suitable for the sustainable development of data centre projects. The study was commissioned to understand what locations in Ireland are best placed to win and sustain this type of investment. The evaluation process, which has since been completed by Jacobs, focused on evaluating all potentially viable land options that would be compatible with the complex and evolving needs of data centre investments.

It is worth reiterating that, over recent years, leading international technology and computing companies have announced several significant data centre investments for Ireland and the goal is to ensure that this trend continues. In that context, IDA Ireland, supported by the relevant key stakeholders, will continue to highlight credible and flexible property solutions that form part of the competitive value proposition for this sector.