Ms Pauline Mulligan:

I will kick off and take the comment on the call centre. I thank the Deputy for his feedback. This action was taken immediately when the pandemic hit. Business supports were rolled out to put the call centre in place. We did not previously have such a facility in the Department. We have doing much to promote it through social media and other channels. We have decided to make it a permanent fixture in the Department to provide information to companies about supports provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and other Departments. It will remain a permanent fixture of the Department.

With regard to the IDA Ireland regional property programme and the additional €10 million allocated for it, regional development remains a top priority for the Department and for IDA Ireland. That is why we continue to fund the agency's regional property programme. A key premise of the programme is that it encourages and facilitates regional investment by ensuring suitable properties are in place to meet the needs of multinational firms. My Department has allocated €52 million to the IDA Ireland property programme in 2021. This compares to an allocation of €16 million in 2015. This increase in the authority's capital budget for property reflects the continuing priority we attach to job creation and economic growth, particularly in the regions. The impact of the regional property programme is reflected in the transformative nature of some of the key investments secured in the regions. Through this programme, more than €100 million in capital investment and over 1,000 high-quality jobs have been secured for towns and cities such as Waterford, Athlone, Castlebar, Limerick, Sligo and Tralee. I will pass over to Mr. Hughes to answer the other questions.