Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I asked about the pipeline and competitiveness, to which Mr. Hughes referred. In this regard, how is foreign direct investment affected? Ireland might not be the cheapest place but we are trying to improve the skill set of employees to make it attractive. Competitiveness is obviously a major factor. A company that was lost to Tullamore looked very much like it was closed not because of the skill set but the fact that Ireland was too expensive for it. Products manufactured here can be manufactured at a cheaper rate in Costa Rica and other parts of the world.