Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the decision of CPL Industries to proceed with their €42million investment in Foynes which will create 182 jobs in the Port.
“This is fantastic news for Co. Limerick and the Mid-West and it represents a massive investment in the Port which I hope can be built on with other projects that will create jobs. This Government decided to designate Foynes Port as a Tier 1 Port of National Importance and as a member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee I worked hard to get that designation. This investment today proves that the Government policy for ports is working, and together with the initiatives taken by the Government in the areas of carbon tax and smokeless fuel, we are seeing this massive announcement today creating much needed jobs in our community.”
“As TD for Co. Limerick I have worked closely with CPL since they first looked at Foynes. I know that while there have been issues along the way we have arrived at a point where the first major foreign investment in West Limerick in over twenty years is now going to take place with a delivery of 182 jobs. These jobs are going to make a massive difference in the local community and will provide individuals and families with the opportunity to build a future in the area. It will also result in a significant boost for the wider local economy which will benefit from the spin-off of such a huge investment in Foynes.”
“This announcement proves how important the Shannon Estuary is to the local economy in Limerick and the Mid-West. The Government have recently decided that together with designating the Port as the only strategic port on the west coast, we included a new road to Foynes in the Capital Programme. As a Government we recognise the potential of Foynes to create jobs in rural Co. Limerick and we are all optimistic that similar announcements to this can be made in the future.”
Patrick O’Donovan paid tribute to the Shannon Foynes Port Company and local man, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan TD for their combined efforts in securing the jobs for Foynes. “We are very fortunate to have the Minister for Finance in the locality. He has provided the leadership in the region for projects like this and I believe that by having him here in Limerick he has been instrumental in driving the recovery in the Mid-West. However the recovery is still very fragile and needs to be protected and that is why we need to be steer clear of political instability,”
Patrick O’Donovan said he would be continuing to work on projects like this as a TD for Co. Limerick and he wished CPL well in the months ahead as they prepare to recruit the first of their new employees in Foynes.