Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

During the recession I worked in a digital house in Limerick where we were trying to get small businesses off the ground. Many IT engineers who had graduated from UL went to Silicon Valley for three or four years and established a network. They worked in big organisations but then went out on their own, brought in their own software and got involved in research and development. They had backing, but they set up in their own way. These are one-man or one-woman bands and they had support from a parent company, but they were working on a new product. I do not know how that support worked, but they were starting out, given help and, lo and behold, had to hire a salesperson to sell the product and then an administrative person. Jobs began to flow. I understand the Minister of State does not want this measure to be abused, but we do not want to stifle what is happening. Unemployment is decreasing and much is happening on the back of this.