Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Enterprise Ireland delegation and apologise that I will not be here to listen to the second part of the session. I also wish Mr. Terence O'Rourke well in his new post of chairman designate. He has an excellent set of qualifications. I did not know whether he would attend as his county is not used to success in Gaelic football but I wish him well. He has the task of filling the shoes of Mr. Hugh Cooney but I have doubt that he will succeed.

I also wish Mr. Frank Ryan well. At a time where it has become fashionable to kick the public service he is an example of someone who has contributed an enormous amount to Irish public life. He reeled off a pile of figures but his imprint is all over them because he did a good job steering Enterprise Ireland during his tenure as chief executive officer.

The Secretary General is present and I hope I hope we can retain his skills somewhere in the public service. I hope he will listen to me when I say it would be a good investment for the country to keep Mr. Ryan involved, at some level, in order to drive the enterprise economy forward. I wish him every health and happiness as he moves on to the next stage of his life.

I have a few questions for Mr. Ryan. He guided Enterprise Ireland, particularly over the past few years, and is now prepared to move on. Has he seen companies change their approach to the applicant process and growing a company? Are people more comfortable when dealing with or approaching an international market?

We have engaged previously with Mr. Tom Hayes on the following matter. There is no doubt that Enterprise Ireland is skilled in assisting companies who want to export and the old county enterprise boards will be under its wing and transformed into a local enterprise office, LEO. Will a company that is happy to stay in Ireland and grow its home base be comfortable within the Enterprise Ireland family? Is there a place for it in the family? County enterprise boards have done a lot for indigenous companies but are now being subsumed into a broader family. Can an assurance be given that an Irish company which is not interested in exporting at present will find a good home in Enterprise Ireland?