Mr. Ian Talbot:

Deputy Tóibín also mentioned the two-tier economy. We are very aware of that. We are working with our chambers around the country to give them training and assistance in how to engage with their local enterprise office, LEO, and their local authority in the new economic development role that local authorities have. We recognise that there may even be more than two-tier problems and we need to play our part to help in dealing with them and to help the local authorities. We need good strategic partnerships. We want to see how best to coordinate our resources and those that local authorities have on the ground and to make them complementary not competitive. There is a risk that LEOs, which will have their own budgets, will start to compete with things we do, or they could complement it. Through talking to, and working with, Enterprise Ireland, local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government we see a great openness to developing that community-spirited good strategic partnership.