Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. I welcome the groups, particularly the chamber of commerce witnesses. I know many of their predecessors. They have done a great job. I also know Mr. Crockett.

If I want to go to the south east in the morning, what is the labour profile and skills analysis that is available to me? What qualifications are available within the region if I want to locate a factory or tech centre there in the morning? What kind of labour force is available to me?

Could someone clarify the exact position with regard to the port at Belview? I gather it is in Kilkenny but it is part of Waterford Port. It pays rates in Kilkenny. What is the management structure? I do not want to get into the row between Waterford and Kilkenny but the chamber might be freer to express a view on the issue. Is the expansion and promotion of the city of Waterford an issue? I come from Ballina, from where we used to ship a lot of material from a couple of local industries to Waterford. We ship a lot less there now as it goes to Dublin. What is the unique selling point of a port in Waterford when there is the Europort in Rosslare and Dublin Port? What is the position in terms of the future port strategy?

I support the technological university but I am also concerned. Institutes of technology have served the country well and there is a rush to get rid of them. It is like moving the car up a model. Mr. Walsh said he wants to promote the engineering sector. Is there a danger that in moving to a technological university and all that goes with it, including research and development, we will forget the nuts and bolts of what the IT sector was set up to do? It is an area we are very much coming back to focus on again in this country. Perhaps it is a question for the groups that will come later, but what is being done to ensure the traditional engineering focus of institutes of technology will be maintained in the new technological university?

I am from the west and we would say we are not getting enough love either. We hear from every group that comes before the committee and as we travel around the country that all the funding is going to Dublin, Galway and Cork. Waterford seems to be getting huge exposure this week on Today FM in particular. Well done on that. What is different about the south-eastern region? What can the witnesses say is specifically different about their region and what does it have that another region could not offer to an employer?