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

The real reason for bringing these people back is to have an environment that will encourage them to use the skills and talents they have learned abroad and set up something here that will create jobs. If there is anything to be learned it is that we must be more specific about the "ask" as opposed to saying, "Come home and we will have happy days" because that will not happen. An article by the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, which I think came out of UCC, referred to the fact that we are paying such high tax rates. People are leaving because of the high tax rates. I am from a rural constituency and when one talks about somebody earning €100,000 they think it is a fortune, but that person is paying 56% or 58% tax on that and may be trying to buy a house in Dublin. In comparison to the opportunities one has in other parts of the world, it is a tough sell. We see that particularly in the case of young doctors. We are putting them through seven years of education and even though many of them are paying for their education, it is still hugely subsidised. That is not just a snapshot. There are many issues that are interconnected so we have to look at this differently.

I was interested in what Ms McAleer said about foreign languages. That goes back to our education and we need to start talking about different issues in terms of those at a very young age in national school. Ireland has changed significantly in the past 20 years in that we have far more foreign nationals in our country. My own five year old talks about the Polish girl in her class. When I asked her if she speaks Polish to her or if she is learning any Polish words, she said they do not do that at school. There is an opportunity here and we should be far more open to that. There is a significant call on teachers to look at things differently in terms of the way we deliver education. That can be done in many different areas.

The more I research the area of entrepreneurship, the more I am appalled because I used to think we were a great entrepreneurial country but we are actually shocking.

On the number of people leaving rural Ireland, as somebody who lives in rural Ireland I see it every day. It is frightening. It is a major issue and I do not know how we can address it because the communities are being destroyed and there is a great business opportunity there. That is something on which we must continue to work but the report is very welcome.