Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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110. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the provision of an advance technology building via the IDA at Kerry Technology Park, Tralee, County Kerry; if he will help drive this important project for Kerry given the relative underperformance of the county in terms of employment figures under IDA-supported companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9271/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland’s property investment programme is aimed at supporting economic development and job creation across IDA’s, Enterprise Ireland's and local LEO’s respective client base.

IDA Ireland is committed to building a new (second) Advanced Technology Building in Tralee. In July 2022, IDA Ireland announced that it has signed "Heads of Terms" with Shannon Commercial Enterprises DAC to progress with the acquisition of the remaining lands at Kerry Technology Park, Tralee. IDA Ireland is proposing to identify a site within the land bank to accommodate the construction of an Advance Building Solution announced as part of the IDA Strategy Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021–2024. This significant investment in the South-West Region aims to future-proof the property offering in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the region and to Kerry in particular. Securing planning permission and the construction of the building will take time and is subject to a number of complex design, planning and procurement processes.

Government and the IDA are committed to winning opportunities for Kerry as demonstrated in their Strategy Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, which commits the organisation to winning new investments for every region of Ireland. The South-West Region (Kerry & Cork) has the largest target of any region outside Dublin of 118 investments. There is a strong focus on supporting existing IDA client companies already in Ireland to minimise downsizings or closures and while some industry sectors are performing well others have been impacted significantly as a result of the pandemic and/or a downturn. IDA Ireland continues to monitor and work with these companies in relation to providing supports and assistance to enable these companies to continue to transform and grow. IDA Ireland continues to engage with new and existing companies on promoting Ireland as a location for their business and the Agency will continue to position County Kerry for site visits to prospective companies in 2023 and beyond.

Currently, there are 17 IDA client companies employing 2,020 people located in Kerry. Over the past 9 years there has been a 21% growth in the number of people employed by IDA client companies in Kerry.