Laois to get more 'high value' IDA backed jobs promises Minister for Enterprise

The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism & Employment, Peter Burke TD has promised to improve the dismal number of IDA supported jobs in Laois, speaking in the county this week.

Out of the 8,000 foreign direct investment (FDI) jobs supported by the IDA in Ireland, just 145 are in Laois. 

Minister Burke was opening Midland Steel’s new factory creating up to 70 new jobs in the J17 National Enterprise Park in Portlaoise.

The park was bought and built by Laois County Council to step in where the IDA had failed.  

Asked by the Leinster Express / Laois Live if the IDA’s Laois record will improve under his watch, he said “absolutely”.

“Working with Deputy Willie Aird here, we were just down looking at the IDA park and looking at the infrastructure that’s around it and underwrites it. We will be working to attract good high quality jobs into the locality. We have a very exciting growth plan for the IDA over the next five years which will see a very significant growth in employment.

“But also high value jobs, and research and development additional expenditure is going to surpass €7 billion, that’s a very exciting trajectory. Critically, we want Laois to be front and centre of that. And if you see the connectivity here, you’re just right beside the motorway, right at the key junctions to the south, there’s so much going for the area and absolutely I’ll work with Deputy Aird in ensuring that we can capture those opportunities here,” Minister Burke said.

See photos of the opening of Midland Steel's new Portlaoise factory, expanding on its Mountmellick plant. 

Majella Bourke, Operations Manager, Midland Steel; Willie Aird TD; Paul Woods, Operations Director, Midland Steel; Peter Burke TD Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; Tony Woods, Founder and CEO, Midland Steel; Andrea Woods, Kevin Sherry, Interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland and John Woods at Midland Steel in Portlaoise for the unveiling of a €16 million Smart Steel Fabrication Facility which is transforming the construction industry. Photo: Alf Harvey

Deputy Aird says there are two more Portlaoise enterprise sites ripe for development.

“It just shows you that Laois County Council having bought this from Pat McDonagh (SuperMacs) at the time, the whole enterprise centre and the way it has opened up. The whole area, the new roads. All the sites are sold in it now. It's a great day for Portlaoise and I hope we have many more. 

"It's 100% successful and we need to drive on this. I had the Minister this morning showing him that we have 40 acres of land adjacent to the IDA park, plus a site in the front which was bought for the decentralised department of agriculture, then for the Portlaoise Garda station. That's another parcel of land available there. That approaches the bypass road we have here.

Watch: See inside new Midland Steel factory.

“I’m delighted to hear the Minister say today that we are ripe for an industry of high tech jobs. I certainly will be doing everything I can to keep it stirred on until we get an opportunity on that site because it is brilliant," he said.