Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Neville for his kind words.

In 2015, exports amounted to €220 billion, of which Enterprise Ireland-backed companies accounted for €20 billion. That is welcome news. We will keep pushing to ensure we do the best for Ireland. IDA Ireland is seeking more money to develop sites. In the programme for Government, €200 million is earmarked for IDA Ireland and €300 million for Enterprise Ireland. IDA Ireland has also looked to the private sector to provide factory sites. We have had a few successes, although not many, with the private sector providing factory spaces. Last week, we had one in Galway provided by the private sector. Over the years, IDA Ireland has negotiated exits from several private finance leases, trying to get them at better prices.

Limerick was the subject of nine site visits in the first quarter of the year. We will be pushing to ensure more visits get to Limerick. As we stated in the regional plans, it is from the ground up and not all about IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland. It is also about the local enterprise offices, LEOs, and small businesses such as the woman who wants to start a cheese-manufacturing business in her house or the beautician who wants to employ people. It is not all about IDA Ireland coming with the Googles or the Facebooks but about developing small businesses. We need to ensure microfinance is available for these small businesses. Microfinance Ireland can provide loans from €2,000 up to €25,000, for example. When people wish to borrow money from the banks, they should also send them to the various agencies from which they can borrow money. To be fair, IDA Ireland and the Googles are not all going to land down in, say, my hometown, Milltown, County Galway. However, they may look at Tuam where there is an IDA Ireland park. The councillors, business people and others there are all pushing to ensure its IDA Ireland park is used and recognised.