Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 18 November 2021

Public Accounts Committee

2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes

9:30 am

Dr. Orlaigh Quinn:

From our perspective, as we mentioned earlier, we have nine regional plans, each of which is headed by a business leader in the community and is supported. All of them include our agencies such as IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise offices. What we are looking for is opportunity. I take the Deputy's point that the port is very important in the context of Brexit. As the Deputy knows better than I do, the airport has plans for development. We try to pull together what is specific and what is a draw for the particular region. It is clear that Waterford benefits from a port and airport but it is a whole-of-government approach as well-----