Gerald Nash (Labour)
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It seems to me that ConnectIreland has very much delivered on its targets. I know there is a dispute about the number of jobs to be verified versus the number of jobs that ConnectIreland would claim are actually on the ground at the moment and they are evolving over the next period of time. That is very much at the heart of what we are discussing here today.

I place on record my appreciation of the work of ConnectIreland particularly in rural areas. I was instrumental in developing, with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the agencies, the regional Action Plan for Jobs approach. Based on the results ConnectIreland has delivered, the jobs on the ground are mainly outside the main cities and urban centres, areas that on the basis of current IDA Ireland policy will never attract an enormous number of foreign direct investment jobs in particular sectors.

It is bizarre and reckless to engage in a review at this point. I agree with colleagues that if we were to have a review, that review should have taken place much earlier than now and the evidence from that review could then have informed Government policy as to the approach to ConnectIreland and the Succeed in Ireland initiative generally.

Clearly the protagonists, if I can use that description, are in a process at the moment. ConnectIreland, for obvious reasons, would favour a bridging contract arrangement being provided. I will not ask Mr. Scannell to comment specifically on whether he thinks a bridging contract should be awarded to ConnectIreland to allow the initiative to proceed in the context of the review that is now being undertaken. Does Mr. Scannell believe from a policy perspective that it is feasible for a bridging arrangement to be agreed in a short period of time because, obviously ConnectIreland is staring down the barrel of a gun with the conclusion of its contract and all that flows from that? From a policy perspective and in the context of public procurement and tendering guidelines, is it feasible for the Minister to award a bridging contract to the organisation, staying within the confines of legal parameters?