Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. O'Leary and his team. I congratulate them on their work and their continued commitment to Ireland in selling us abroad and bringing in such valuable jobs to Ireland. I have seen first hand the work that his team does hand in hand with the ambassadors, Enterprise Ireland and so on. If we could have one wish, it would be to have more resources to put more into that particular success.

There has been much talk about a talent pool in Ireland, especially in the IT sector and the gaming industry, which is a growing market here. We are competing worldwide for talent in that area, but we do not have enough of it at home because many people did not get into computer engineering over the last ten years. Even if they did, some of what they have done is well behind the curve of what is going on across the world. Is there an issue with the flexibility of the permit system that we need to bring people in who have this talent? I am very familiar with the permit system, but does it need to be more flexible, especially in respect of IT professionals?