Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the chairman designate, the chief executive officer and their officials. This is a very good appointment on the part of the Minister. I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Frank Ryan previously. All the skills he outlined will be brought to the job. It is a particularly important role for him. With his understanding of small companies he can bring to the table the experience of the links they can with our multinational sector. We need to strengthen the links between Enterprise Ireland client companies and our foreign direct investment base, and I hope he will be able to bring that to the table. While I have huge respect for the IDA and huge regard for the work that all of its staff do, the regional focus of the organisation in recent years has slipped. The number of job announcements in recent years are very welcome and are a testament to the quality of the team in the IDA but we are very much entering into a two-speed recovery.

Many of the regions are being left behind. Mr. Ryan's adopted county of Meath did not have any IDA visits in 2012. Some focus should be brought to that as well.

I wish Mr. Ryan every success in the role. This is a very strong appointment on the part of the Minister and Mr. Ryan will have a great skills base to bring to the role. I wish him health and happiness.