Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the site selection process for a new advance technology building in Kerry Technology Park will be accelerated by the IDA in view of the disappointing recent jobs figures pertaining to IDA supported companies in Kerry; the number of IDA-sponsored site visits to Kerry to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22069/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland is committed to winning opportunities for Kerry. IDA Ireland’s Strategy Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024 launched in January 2021 commits the organisation to winning new investments for every region of Ireland. The Strategy includes a target of 800 investments for Ireland over the period, 400 of which will be outside Dublin.

In addition, each region has its own investment target over period of the strategy with the South-West Region of Kerry & Cork having the largest target of any region outside Dublin of 118 investments.

In 2022 the strong growth in regions continued with 127, or 52% of the investments won going to regional locations. Employment growth was recorded in every region of the country with the South-West region up 7.5% to 52,228. Over the past 9 years there has been a 21% growth in the number of people employed by IDA client companies in Co. Kerry.

In addition to the growth in employment, IDA has committed in its current strategy to building a new, second, Advanced Technology Building in Tralee. On the 6th of July 2022, IDA Ireland announced that it 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 as announced as part of the IDA Strategy "Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021–2024". 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. The IDA’s property investment in the regions is aimed at supporting economic development and job creation across IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and local LEO’s respective client base. It is crucial that the South-West region has a competitive, sustainable property offering to enable the attraction and retention of investment and jobs.

The significant investment by IDA Ireland in the South-West Region aims to future-proof the property offering to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the region and to Kerry in particular.

All of this activity has seen members of the IDA Ireland regional, property and other sectoral operations teams in IDA Ireland spend time in Kerry and Tralee in particular and this will continue.

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 virtual and in-person site visits to prospective companies in 2023 and beyond. In 2023 to date there has been one in-person site visit to Kerry.