Mr. Martin Shanahan:

There are always competing options in terms of how one spends money. It is the function of Government and these Houses to decide how to do that. Regarding what is within our own gift regarding how we spend money, we provide excellent value for money in terms of the return to the Exchequer from the investments we win. In respect of the ConnectIreland and the Succeed in Ireland programmes, we have only expended money where jobs have been created but I acknowledge that there is a chasm relative to the ambition that was set out and the delivery.