Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates and thank them for the information provided. Two issues were highlighted, the high level of foreign direct investment we have vis-à-vis other countries and the fact that in recent years this has accelerated. Another highlight is that we have 115,000 people employed in American companies here, while in the States, there are 120,000 people employed in Irish companies. I had not realised we had more people employed in Irish companies in the US than here. That is interesting.

I have two questions, the first of which has to do with product exports. I understand that last year our product exports fell, but that this was compensated for by increased exports within the services and high tech areas. What is the exposure level within the high tech area and could we lose some of that? What should we be watching out for in order to ensure some of this business is not transferred elsewhere?

Mr. Cotter said we lag behind Switzerland. Some people might say that coming second is good, but if one is second, one should always look to be first. Does Switzerland have sectors from the US that put it in pole position and are there sectors on which we should focus to try to put ourselves in the primary position? What should we target in that regard?

My final question has to do with Mr. Cotter's comments regarding supporting greater public sector productivity and flexibility. Will he elaborate on that? What would he like to see happening in that regard and what deficiencies does he see in that area? He said the Department should have the correct skill-sets to understand and empathise with the business world. Is he talking about the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, a Department in which significant questions have been raised about the calibre and quality of personnel in it? Would Mr. Cotter like to see a policy where there would be greater mobility between the private sector and the public sector? This would bring a greater level of ethical governance to the private sector and would bring more dynamic commercial expertise to the public sector. Mr. Cotter mentioned this, but I would like him to elaborate a little on what he said.