Ms Aoife O'Sullivan:

I will respond on behalf of production companies and producers, as a multifaceted response is probably required. I am delighted that the crews are present to explain the situation from their point of view.

To give a snapshot, I produced three projects in 2021, two of which were regional while the third was in Dublin and Wicklow. They were two films and a TV drama. We were lucky enough to get the regional uplift to the tax credit for a film called "Joyride" in Kerry and a TV production called "North Sea Connection" in Galway. Those projects would not have happened in the regions without the regional uplift.

As part of the regional uplift, it is important that skills, investment and training be taken on. In some ways, what the Deputy is saying points to a wild west, but it is not like that. It is heavily regulated. People have to understand that this is a project-based industry. We cannot offer continuous employment to crew members. For one thing, they do not want it because they enjoy the fact that they go from project to project and have a choice. The industry is also booming and going through a period of intense growth. Since it is so busy, we cannot get the crews back. For example, if I wanted to get the same crew for the three projects in Kerry, Galway and Dublin-Wicklow, I could not. I would love to work with the same people over and over again because we establish great working relationships, but they have moved on to the next-----