Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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My first question is for Mr. Fielding. I agree that the sum of the gender parts far outweighs the individuals. Last week a ground-breaking female entrepreneur appeared before the committee. One of the key points she made was that for better or worse, in many families women take the brunt of the responsibility of minding and rearing the children. Another point she made - this was confirmed by the representatives of Enterprise Ireland - was that middle management in business is a key seeding ground for future entrepreneurs. If we could ensure that more women find themselves in middle management in those companies, we would have more female entrepreneurs seeded from that ground.

The Government can play a role in ensuring that the key issue of supports for women in those areas are there. How do we make businesses more friendly? How do we make that middle management space more family-friendly - friendly for women, who, unfortunately, take on most of the responsibility? While I might be wrong in this, in a private business a person could take maybe two years out on a career break and not find himself or herself at the bottom of the professional ladder or even struggling to get back into work.

There is a cost to business supports and businesses are struggling. There is a fine line between having the supports and yet keeping the businesses are viable. The idea of the flying entrepreneur is a fascinating example of what could potentially be done. If we can drill down into more of those supports and give them some kind of statutory support from the State, that could make a difference. I ask the witnesses if they could speak to that.

Mr. Costello gave a fascinating presentation. One of the nuts we are trying to crack here is the Mittelstand, as the German's call it, that middle sized indigenous SME. There is a desert in that space in the State. I am aware the witnesses mentioned start-ups specifically but do they have a view on how we can ensure that businesses get into that level of growth and space? It is probably more difficult for FDI industries than it is for EI to put on particular programmes in this area but do FDI industries target women-led businesses? I am aware that having women in visible positions often inspires young girls and women to go for those positions in the first place. One of the key areas in which the witnesses probably have influence is in the engagement between FDI industries and local direct investment, LDI, that space where we want local business to engage more with FDI industries. Are there any particular programmes or incentives to ensure that women entrepreneurs are in that space?

I congratulate the witnesses on the IDA figures in respect of the work they have been doing this year. I note the regional distribution and the improvement but there are many counties, some of which I have mentioned previously, which still need more IDA investment. I would be happy if the witnesses could address those questions.