Mr. Brian Caulfield:

It is the personnel. Fundamentally Deputy O'Reilly is absolutely right that it is difficult for indigenous companies to compete in terms of overall packages for these staff. A small company cannot provide an in-house gym, canteen, laundry and whatever else. Small companies also struggle even to match salaries. This credit would help to bridge that gap in terms of the overall package and enable us to retain these skills in the country as opposed to people moving to London, Barcelona or wherever it might be.

Similarly with regard to the KEEP share option scheme, as things stand today options in a large US technology company are a very much more attractive proposition and a very much more secure proposition than options in a smaller early-stage Irish start-up. We need to make sure that the risk that people take in terms of reduced income and the risk to their jobs in an early-stage company is rewarded in some way The KEEP share option scheme has the potential to be this.