David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that a spotlight has been shone on the south east, not just by the Minister but by many people and organisations, but the action has not been decisive. It is not good enough just to say that the absence of an IDA regional director based in Waterford or a regional office is simply an operational matter for the IDA. It has been very clear for a long time that this enterprise organisation has not been delivering for Waterford or the south east. Despite the increase in site visits, we are simply not getting the jobs or the bang for our buck. The matter is urgent and we cannot afford to wait for any outcome of a regional review in which the Minister might be involved generally. The south east needs urgent attention and decisive interventions and has needed them for some time. Many of the high-level interventions in the SEEDS report and the Forfás report have not been implemented. We are still waiting for the university.

To go back to the IDA, we need a regional strategy that has a regional office and a regional director. It is not just about having staff for the sake for it. It is about having a regional focus and a joined-up approach between all stakeholders so that the IDA is anchored in the region in Waterford city. That is what we need, and if we do not get it we will have ten more years of job losses and a further decline in manufacturing. I ask the Minister to accept that there is an urgency about this and to act decisively because, while there is and has been a spotlight, the action has not been as decisive as the Minister would say.