Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It has been very interesting to listen to the witnesses and learn how much is going on. I had a visit earlier this year from a group of Chinese investors. They may have been invited by Enterprise Ireland. I was impressed that they were visiting only two countries in Europe, Ireland and The Netherlands. Who are Enterprise Ireland’s competitors? The Netherlands must be one. Who else is a competitor and what are their main weapons? There was a meeting in Galway earlier this year where the British had sent somebody to encourage Irish investors to consider investing in Britain, whether in Northern Ireland or elsewhere, showing the tax and other advantages. In the business I was in we kept a very close eye on our opposition. To what extent does Enterprise Ireland have to keep an eye on its opposition to see what it is doing now and what it is likely to do next?

How important is the tax rate? It was hardly mentioned today but how important is it in competition with other investors? If, when the witnesses are on their way home, they meet a leprechaun with a crock of gold who says they can have anything they want, what would they love to have?