Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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66. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if construction works on a new advanced technology building in Dundalk, County Louth, have commenced; if not, the date on which construction work will commence; and the estimated timeframe of such works. [22746/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I am determined, together with the IDA, to attract further investment to Louth and the Border counties, as we seek to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.

As part of its Regional Property Programme (RPP) the IDA successfully constructed an Advanced Office Building (AOB) at Finnabair Business Park in Dundalk last December and this facility is being actively marketed to prospective investors. The Advanced Technology Building (ATB) that the Deputy is referring to forms part of the second phase of the RPP and I have been informed by the Agency that the contractor for this facility has been selected and approved for appointment. The contracts are in the process of being finalised and the objective is to be on site in early October. The timeline for the building's completion will be approximately 12 months from the commencement of construction work.

More broadly, Louth has experienced year-on-year increases in employment by IDA client companies since 2012, with 486 net new jobs created in 2019. There are now 29 IDA client companies in the county employing over 4,400 people. County Louth is also home to a number of prominent multinationals - such as PCI Pharma, Almac Group and Paypal - that continue to perform well.