Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I thank Mr. Hayes for his very comprehensive statement. There is no doubt that Enterprise Ireland has been extraordinarily successful. Between direct and indirect employment, some 300,000 people are employed in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland. That speaks for itself. I had the honour to be on the evaluation committee of the very first Dublin City Enterprise Board. The then city manager, Mr. Frank Feely appointed me to that.

The county and city enterprise boards have made a major contribution to creating awareness of an entrepreneurial culture at a micro level throughout the country. They have been innovative. I do not support this move to subsume county enterprise boards into local enterprise offices. I will spell out the reasons and will ask questions.