Industrial Development
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-13
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

I acknowledge the concern raised by Deputy Fleming in connection with Laois. I was on the ground there with Deputies Fleming and Aird recently and looked at where we have an advanced planning permit in Portlaoise and lands surrounding it, as well as being there on the occasion when Midland Steel announced 70 jobs, which are very important for the area. We have seen 11% growth in Enterprise Ireland from 2020 to 2024, which equals about 260 jobs supported by the agency. We have to do better and I fully acknowledge that. We drive regional growth as best we can and I have asked the IDA to up its targets for regional areas. I will do all I can, working with Deputies Fleming and Aird, to bring additional investment into Laois. Critically, the Leprino Foods site is another high-quality, high-spec building and we really need to find a replacement employer. It is one we are marketing aggressively as part of the IDA portfolio.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-13