Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not have those data with me but it is a mixed picture. Some companies are more open while others are not. Some still want to go to the deep labour market pools but some do not. It is not a question of political opportunity. Companies come with a very clear matrix of what they want. The question then is how to meet their needs within that while promoting what we have in the regions. Undoubtedly there has been a greater focus on that. The last few years have been very difficult. We have been doing well to win investment and it is hoped we can achieve a better regional spread.

In terms of a regional enterprise strategy, we cannot just focus on the 4% or 5% FDI employment. The 95% of employment which is not in the FDI category must also be the subject of any debate regarding our regional enterprise strategy. To take up the point made by Senator Quinn, we need to create an environment in the regions that supports start-up companies and makes them successful. We are trying to have that bigger conversation, not just with the IDA but also with Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, the educational institutions, local authorities and so forth to better align our regional strengths to both inward and indigenous investment.

I do not think there is one magic bullet to which I can attribute it. Some sectors are better than others. As the Deputy knows, the pharmaceutical industry has a better regional spread whereas ICT does not, for example. We do better in terms of regional spread with pharmaceutical, medical devices and food projects. It is sectoral to some degree. ICT companies tend to look to the urban areas. A lot of the recent developments outside of Dublin are in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors. If we can win more in certain sectors, we have a better chance of improving the regional spread.