2026-01-13

120. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the current status of the IDA-owned lands at Ballingarrane, south Tipperary; the extent to which IDA Ireland is actively marketing the site following the recent grant of planning permission for an advance building solution; the marketing strategy now in place, including international promotion, engagement with potential investors and inclusion of the site in IDA property offerings; if any expressions of interest have been received; the timeline for delivery of an advance facility on the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1440/26]

Following the Minister's recent visit to south Tipperary, what is the current status of the IDA-owned lands at Ballingarrane in Clonmel? Can he confirm the extent to which IDA Ireland is actively marketing the site, state whether any expressions of interest have been received for the site and outline the timeline for the delivery of an advance building solution that was recently granted planning permission on the site?

I thank Deputy Murphy for his important question. IDA's strategy to drive balanced regional development is a priority, as set out in the programme for Government, and is a key focus of the work of my Department and its agencies. IDA Ireland is continuing its strong commitment to regional development as one of our four key strategic objectives in the 2025-29 strategy, Adapt Intelligently. This ambitious strategy aims to secure 550 foreign direct investment, FDI, projects outside of Dublin, accounting for 55% of the total investment target. There has been consistent FDI performance in the mid-west region, comprising counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, with employment in IDA clients increasing by 15% over the past five years. IDA now has 158 client companies in the mid-west region, employing 28,125 people. Within that, there are 16 IDA Ireland client companies in County Tipperary, employing 5,630 people. The mid-west region has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services, and the engineering and industrial technologies sectors. The availability of suitable property and strategic sites is a critical component of the regional value proposition and can be the key differentiator in investment decisions in the regions from both new and existing clients as well as clients of Enterprise Ireland and our local enterprise offices, LEOs. As part of the property strategy, IDA, in partnership with Tipperary County Council, has secured planning permission for a proposed 10,000 sq. m advance factory solution building on a site of approximately 3.4 ha at Ballingarrane science and technology park in Clonmel, County Tipperary. The advance planning permission allows the maximum flexibility to a potential client whereby it can avail of the permission or amend it to suit its requirements. I was delighted to visit Tipperary with Deputy Murphy in recent weeks and receive a presentation from the local authority and, indeed, IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland continues to market aggressively the site, and the planning permission it has in existence, to new and existing IDA global clients and through its regional offices.

I thank the Minister for his reply. In particular, I thank him for visiting south Tipperary in December, when he got an opportunity to see the strengths of south Tipperary and of our key towns, particularly Clonmel. He also got an opportunity to see our strengths in terms of our strong employment and the really strong presence of medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. All of this is backed up by a strong set of skills, proper infrastructure and, as I said, an established industrial base. As the Minister said, the recent granting of planning permission for a 100,000 sq. m advance building solution is an important step forward. The concern at local level is that IDA has owned over 50 acres at Ballingarrane for more than 20 years. There is a sense locally that it is now time for delivery, so any support the Minister can give us in that regard would be appreciated.

I thank Deputy Murphy again for his proactive approach when we were on site in Clonmel. The ecosystem that exists there will put us in a very strong position together with the partnerships the Deputy has worked with, including Tipperary County Council, to really ensure that we have the development of water and the development of grid capacity on site. Having a utility-rich site like that puts us in a strong position. We will ensure the IDA gives its full attention to try to get a strong client into it. On the Deputy’s trip I was impressed with the Bulmers visitor centre at Dowd’s Lane. It is an exciting project that we can deliver through our capital grants and Fáilte Ireland. I know the Deputy is committed to it. It is one I would like to see developing over the next year. Hopefully, the local authority can be proactive in this regard and we can work with the IDA to try to ensure that, first, we deliver high-quality jobs and, now that we have a new exciting tourism strategy, we breathe life into areas and ensure that the 46,000 SMEs and 228,000 people employed in that sector are getting a strong dividend back into their community.

I agree with everything the Minister said. Crucially, balanced regional development must be reflected in outcomes on the ground. South Tipperary, Clonmel and all the other key towns offer everything the IDA is looking for, such as a proven industrial ecosystem that the Minister mentioned. A town like Clonmel has so much potential. The crucial step in this regard was securing planning permission, which was a critical barrier for inward investment. That should translate into momentum. I press upon the Minister to push this was the IDA. The authority needs to set clear milestones for delivering this project and delivering industry. I welcome any intervention by the Minister and I particularly welcome his comments about the Bulmers visitor centre, which has so much potential and is located in the heart of the town.

As the Deputy rightly outlined, the location is hugely attractive, particularly in relation to utilities, which are at a premium. The local authority has been proactive in this regard in looking ahead in developing connectivity, which is critical for the key infrastructural components that deliver high-quality jobs. We will work closely with the Deputy and the IDA to ensure we get a good client in this location and build on the existing clients. It is a very exciting ecosystem, particularly for life sciences. We will hopefully publish a life science strategy by August in time for our Presidency of the EU which will chart more investment in that area. We have approximately 100,000 jobs nationally in that sector and a total of €100 billion investment in exports every year. It is an area in which Tipperary and Clonmel can be an attractive proposition for investment. That is something we are working closely on. I look forward to working with Deputy Murphy to develop more projects in Tipperary, for which he is a huge advocate.