Mr. Richard Scannell:

Just to clarify on several of the points raised, no decision has been made to shut down ConnectIreland. That is not what is happening here. The two parties, to be fair, entered into a contract which had a conclusion date. The contract was not intended to run forever and it is ending. That is effectively what has happened. No decision has been made in that respect.

In terms of accepting the decision of the IDA, the Minister and the Department have great respect for the work IDA Ireland has done. It has a stellar track record in attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland, creating jobs and investment across the country. There is no reason in this instance to second-guess the judgment of the IDA. The purpose of the 12-month extension, as I understand it, which was agreed in March 2016, was not to allow for a further tendering. In fact, the express terms of that extension, if I recall correctly, were to effect an orderly wind down of the agreement, to effectively bring the original contract to a conclusion and not to allow for the re-tender.