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

That is absolutely correct. Our Department has funded IDA Ireland by €250,000, which was announced for the first time in this committee, to make sure that it gets out there and can compete. Positive messages, our track record and our education and skills base were mentioned. Our educational institutions will respond to companies coming into Ireland. Limerick is a very good example of this. UL, LIT and Mary Immaculate College will respond in this regard. If a company comes to Ireland, these institutions will get behind it and ensure a skills base for its operations. This is happening around the country. If any representatives of the educational institutes are listening to the proceedings of this meeting, I say "well done" to them. We need them. When I was on the trade missions, two things kept coming up: one was innovation, and the other was skills and talent. It is very important we have that skills base for companies thinking of coming to Ireland.

Our other positive attributes include the fact we are English-speaking and our position at the absolute heart of Europe. We have 450 million customers and clients in Europe. We have a special relationship with the EU. We have our 12.5% tax rate. We also have very good enterprise agencies. IDA Ireland has been in business for approximately 60 years. It is able to get out there and compete with the very best. Deputy Neville is correct that there is tough competition out there. If people think these companies are coming here for old times' sake, they are mistaken. These are shrewd business people. They will make up their minds as to which country they wish to come into and where they want to locate in that country, while keeping the interests of their business in mind. These companies are very welcome in Ireland.

We have had advertising campaigns in the Financial Times, The Economist, City A.M.and other financial news outlets abroad. We also have a huge ad campaign at London City Airport. I do not know whether members follow the IDA Twitter and LinkedIn apps. Again, IDA's is an excellent, smart campaign. We are out there in America, on Bloomberg and CNBC and in The Wall Street Journal, doing our very best.