Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I also welcome the comments regarding ConnectIreland. I shared some of my experiences of the agency when living in Australia during the height of the economic crisis with the former Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor. It was said that we are going to face the biggest economic crisis in decades. The biggest economic crisis we have had was nine years ago, not decades in the past. While Brexit will be a huge challenge, the unemployment rate is now down to 6.1%, which indicates that the agencies have been performing. In the interest of balance, perhaps the Tánaiste could furnish the committee with more or simpler specifics about the return from those agencies over the past three to four years and their achievements since the Action Plan for Jobs was put in place. More investment will be needed, which I would welcome, in particular in regard to the Asia Pacific region. I welcome the contribution of ConnectIreland in terms of its provision of opportunities of referrals through social meetings, in particular for emigrants who were not at board of management level or similar, and it was very much on the tip of emigrants' tongues because of that. One could often find out about jobs through social and personal interactions. A departmental official said that one of the biggest referrals to him through ConnectIreland resulted in several new jobs in the regions and that is to be welcomed. I ask the Tánaiste to furnish the committee with specific statistics on efficiencies. It is all very well having several personnel in an agency but increased efficiency and the consideration of that must be targeted.