Mr. Tom Dowling:

I thank the committee for inviting us here today. I have just a few words to say, but first I will tell the committee why I am involved and why I believe so much in this initiative. I spent more than 40 years in local government in various councils throughout Ireland and retired as Meath county manager in 2012. Mobilising and supporting communities that care for their own place and people has always been my passion. Through my local government work, as chairman and founder of the all-Ireland Pride of Place initiative and chairman of Third Age Ireland, I am very much aware of the power of communities to achieve when they join together for a common purpose. I joined ConnectIreland as an adviser just over a year ago because I believe the ConnectIreland job creation model is a powerful story of enterprise, hope and opportunity which empowers every person in Ireland to make a difference. I also saw the opportunity to mobilise people in residential and business communities throughout Ireland to realise they can do something to help to create jobs and bring jobs into Ireland.

Ms Murphy has outlined what ConnectIreland is all about and how it is creating jobs for people throughout Ireland, albeit not in every corner of the country. The reality is that we need continuous support in getting our message out there. We want to encourage the business and residential communities to reach out to our diaspora, about whom Ms Murphy has spoken, and ask them a very simple question, namely, whether they know anyone who knows a company outside of Ireland considering expanding its business abroad. If that question had not been asked, the job announcements to which Ms Murphy referred would be in another European country today. That is very significant.

There has been huge support and positivity from the local city and county councils and national business and voluntary organisations such as the GAA, the FAI, the Irish Hotels Federation and more as we roll out this community partnership programme. However, it is a huge effort. We have to keep going and have to keep the message out there. We are doing that, and we cannot give up. We have visited every council at least once. We have met community and business leaders in almost every county. We go to different events to speak to people as well. There is huge positivity towards the programme. As I stated, it is about getting the message out there and getting people to believe they can do something. We are trying to convince them to do that.

I believe that will restore pride to our towns and villages because parts of Ireland have not yet been touched by the current economic growth. That is the reality. However, we can get people to do something for themselves.

One lesson we have learned is that one size does not fit all; what works in Mayo may not work in Clare. That is the way it works out. We are trying to devise a programme with each council and with the help of the local enterprise offices to reflect the individual needs and how they should respond.

The reason we are before the committee is to update it on how things are going. We need the continued support of Government and its agencies. We get great support from the Government and its agencies, including IDA Ireland, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and government in general. We would like to hear the comments, views and suggestions of the committee and to listen to any ideas it might have. I thank the committee again for listening to us.