Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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We are constantly working with Enterprise Ireland to see how we can improve the situation on both ends but we have to understand it is taxpayers' money. There are checks and balances and that dreaded red tape to go through. However, when one is availing of quite a high amount of taxpayers' money, those checks and balances have to be in place. It is not always to do with that. It is to do with a company's timing as well and when it will make the investment and then the matched funding or drawdown from the various schemes from Enterprise Ireland but we track this. Tommy Murray in our section does much with EI on a weekly basis to work with it on the various schemes. There are also issues with trying to get schemes approved. Many of them come under EU rules or have to go through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We might decide today to open a new fund but the story beyond that will take a little bit longer.

The Deputy asked me earlier on about the number of educational stakeholders and partners availing of the European Space Agency, ESA, funds and the scheme. We wish to see many more. I know the Deputy is very interested in some of our new technological universities. I wish to see more of them get involved in these programmes. We have been very successful in Ireland with the blend of the education system and research community, both private and public, drawing down EU and ESA funds. We wish to increase that. We can continue on the journey and I am open to any conversation to increase it.