Mr. Ciaran Corcoran:

I am site director of the Abbott Diagnostics facility in Longford. I am also president of the IBEC regional executive committee for the midlands, which represents business from counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath. I am present to support the N4-N5 joint affiliated chambers in highlighting the infrastructure deficit along the N4 route through the midlands into the north west and to share a business perspective.

The national planning framework and mid-term review of the capital investment plan present opportunities to advance the regional policy agenda and achieve more balanced regional development. In line with IDA Ireland's strategic plan, it makes economic sense to invest wisely now in the region's road network in order to allow businesses to create more jobs locally and to secure future growth. Ambitious investment is central to creating a positive brand for the region and is a key catalyst in the context of attracting and retaining foreign direct investment, FDI, there.

With regard to the key for business in decision-making in the context of FDI, infrastructure was ranked first in a recent US survey. It is a key decision factor in locating businesses. I work closely with IDA Ireland and recently people have visited our site in Longford. Discussions always focus on the infrastructure in the area and access to talent. These are the top of the agenda items for these decision makers and they go hand in hand. Balanced regional development will also create a much better brand for the region. There is a major deficit in the brand of the midlands and north-west regions. This goes hand in hand with the infrastructure we are asking to be prioritised in the capital expenditure review to attract talent to these regions and to built their brands. Without that, people will not relocate and support the FDI opportunities or even indigenous companies to drive talent into these regions. We recently hired a number of people from around the country. They are engineers and science graduates who are originally from the midlands and north-west regions and they wanted to return. Having been born and reared there, they went to college and began their careers in the south west, Dublin and Galway but they wanted to return to the midlands. There is value there and there is a proposition for us to build on in this regard but we need this infrastructure to realise the potential of the region. The key decision factor is linked to infrastructure and access to airports and ports. As my colleagues said, this is the only missing link and deficit in the radial network that needs to be addressed to close that gap.

Tourism also goes hand in hand with this, although it is a different topic. Infrastructure will enable the region to maximise its tourism potential into the future. By doing that, it will be tied to the brand of the region and will bring more jobs to the region. That will build momentum, which can be used to leverage the brand for the region and attract talent. This is all interconnected and we need to keep these factors in mind when decisions are made for the capital expenditure review.