Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Shanahan and his team. I wish to say how much we congratulate and appreciate the team's work throughout the world. The achievement of 129,000 extra jobs in the past decade, going from 146,000 to 275,000 employed in IDA companies, is truly remarkable. Also remarkable is the fact that the IDA has increased the number of projects per year by 100. It has achieved a regional spread far better than was the case at the start of the decade. The average pay of employees in IDA companies, at €61,500, is significantly higher than in the rest of the economy. We owe a significant debt of gratitude to Mr. Shanahan and his team.

I wish to ask a few questions as we look ahead. If this economy continues to sustain full employment, will IDA Ireland's focus change to more spin-out, higher value-added activities, with the creation of more enterprise hubs within these large companies such that one might see growth that would be closer to indigenous growth? Goods and services purchased, at €11 billion, account for less than 4% of the exports IDA Ireland reports. The figure is low. I think there were trade missions within Ireland on which Enterprise Ireland companies sought to increase their purchases from those companies. How is that going, and can we drive it further? Allied to that, can we see greater integration of multinational companies in areas such as apprenticeships? It is a very significant objective of the Government to increase the number of new paths for people rather than relying solely on the higher education path. I do not think there is high involvement of multinationals in that sector.

The issue of power and data centres has been a subject of controversy, and there is a difference of view between the IDA and EirGrid, though I know work is ongoing to reconcile that. Just how significant will that be in the context of the development of the IDA's portfolio of companies?

Finally, regarding climate change, many of these international companies will want to be seen to be moving to net zero.

Is IDA Ireland cultivating that approach? We have set the second most ambitious climate targets in the world for the next decade. How is that being integrated into IDA Ireland's strategy? No doubt we will see border controls applied by Europe to countries that do not apply the same high standards in climate adaptation. Will it have significant bearing on the approach that IDA Ireland takes in the coming years?