Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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My question relates to the capital funding for agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the National Standards Authority of Ireland, in the context of the capital funding voted through the Department. Do these agencies have a co-funding remit under their enabling legislation? In other words, can they raise other forms of finance to advance their capital programmes? For example, do they go to the strategic investment fund, which is the successor fund to the National Pensions Reserve Fund? Do they go to the private market or do they have a public private partnership approach? Can the Minister provide an overview on that matter?

My second supplementary question is tangential to the Action Plan for Jobs and relates to the shadow labour market. Unfortunately, we all know it is out there. For example, depending on who we talk to, the groups that support migrants who come to the country maintain there are in the region of up to 30,000 undocumented people here. Many have put down roots and have families and children. These people are working in the labour market but are undocumented. They may have come to the country with a certain visa status or perhaps student status and may be described as visa over-stayers by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In any event, a significant number of people are in the marketplace but are not showing up on the radar. They may show up on some Revenue returns but are not otherwise officially recorded. Many are being forced to work in the shadow economy by virtue of their undocumented status. That is something which we should consider as part of the Action Plan for Jobs. Potentially, they could be forcing down rates of pay by virtue of the fact that they have to remain undocumented. They might have to work for cheaper rates of pay and many of them do so. I am keen to flag this to the Minister. This is a significant issue in our community and in the marketplace for labour.