Mr. Tomás Ó Síocháin:

I will address the points in sequence across the board. There is a challenge around skills but there are some solutions in the offing. I was the inaugural chair of the regional skills forum in the west. While all of the institutions are involved - such as the education and training boards, ETBs, the institutes of technology, IOTs, and the universities - one of the challenges is in communicating the importance of accreditation. Until they understood fully what the issue is it is not clear to people why the accreditation from a university or an IOT or an ETB is important. It is because it is effectively like a passport and a person can add to it as he or she goes along. It is very important that this is communicated.

There is also a huge shift in non-traditional entry that allows people from other backgrounds to come in. This is vitally important because it allows those people in who have fallen through the cracks the first time, or who do not get initial opportunities to come back.

On the broadband issue and the move from wireless to fibre broadband, some of the work done by the Western Development Commission has identified the importance of future proofing the use of fibre so that it is not only for the here and now, it must also give the long-term viability.

With regard to the data kept on those who are refused funding, there is certainly anecdotal data. If one looks at it in terms of what lending devices or products we offer it is very important to learn where people are not getting the funding and then to examine why. I would certainly be looking at putting in place a more structured way of capturing that data and seeing what we can learn from it. I agree with Ms Ní Fhátharta that there are no failures in the sense that people are triaged and sent to other areas. It is, however, important to examine some of the reasoning behind it and see what we can learn.

While not commenting specifically on the co-op development unit, one of the areas we are looking at is social enterprise. This is important because it goes to the area of sustainability. This is not just in the context of sustaining communities as communities, it is also about the broader issues around sustainability such as the green economy and climate change. We are examining the social enterprise model in that context.

We would face the same issues around finance as Údarás na Gaeltachta in that we have to operate under State-aid rules and we have to make sure we identify matching funding. As I highlighted earlier, a key issue is the ability to attract other investors and private investment and I believe there is scope to look at solutions around the tax regime in that respect.

Seanadóir Ó Céidigh asked about attracting people back to the west. I deliberately wanted to finish on this issue because I believe it is absolutely crucial. Work has been done by the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with an INDECON report on returning emigrants. The report looked at what the issues are. Information and insurance are key issues. There are also practical concerns such as getting driving licences and so on. More fundamentally, I believe that we need to change the narrative. We need to move away from the region or the rural areas comparing themselves to other places and saying that we are not good enough. That perspective does not hold true when we look at the fantastic physical beauty and the natural attributes of many of the regions we are discussing today. There is also the fact that the very mobile workforce of returning emigrants bring fantastic skills with them. Given the opportunities in remote working I agree with Údarás na Gaeltachta that the diaspora is a key one-to-one unit in bringing people home. There is an onus on all of us to work together to make sure that when people do come home it is less of a challenge than it currently is. This should be addressed in the key areas but especially in the context of SMEs. There is also a role for mentorship because when a person has an individual that he or she can work with and contact it allows that person to come back and hit the ground running.

Across the board it is very important that the conversation shifts to emphasise the positive. This will be the key area. We would be bringing people back home to a very attractive option in the context of work-life balance.