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

I thank Deputy Staunton very much indeed. First, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Mr. Clancy on his appointment at Enterprise Ireland. I know he has a difficult act to follow but I have no doubt that he will make a great job of it. I congratulate Ms Julie Sinnamon on her tenure, which was an exceptional period.

I have a few questions on which I would be interested to hear answers. I am very interested in the circular economy concept, that is, this idea of taking the environmental damage out of the entire supply chain. This will be significant for competitiveness in the long term. In sectors that would be vitally important, such as food and others where these credentials will be crucial, what work is going on beyond the climate agenda to make sure that is a key element of strategic planning in all dimensions?

I would be interested to hear how Mr. Clancy sees the performance of high-potential start-up companies versus the more standard start-ups that come through either the local enterprise offices, LEOs, or Enterprise Ireland. Mr. Clancy put a strong emphasis on high-potential start-ups, but there has always been the slight niggling fear that they grow to a point and then get sold off and the benefit goes into the multinational system. Is that changing?

The arrival of town centre renewal and remote working is a key strategy of Government. What new initiatives is Mr. Clancy taking to push, say, enterprise centres into the hearts of towns in order that we create a living centre? Enterprise Ireland can be a very key strategic player in this area.

How have linkages with multinationals developed? We had trade missions to Ireland in difficult times in the past but the difficulty seems to be getting into these global supply chains. Have many Irish Enterprise Ireland companies made that leap into the global supply chain at this point?