Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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The last thing Ms McGee said was "a destination for talent". I also see that in Clonmel. People do not come only because they are given an offer or a wage. They look for quality of life. The Covid-19 pandemic played a key part in that. They look at the quality of life their family might have as regards education, health and recreation almost more than anything at the moment. One of the good examples I see of that is a new sports hub on the outskirts of Clonmel. It received an investment of €10 million. It will be opened next month by the Taoiseach. One of the driving forces behind it was that businesses financially supported the building of the sports hub in collaboration with Tús and the local authority. They did so on the basis of attracting employees to come to Clonmel. That seems to be one of the biggest challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic. They will not only give a certain wage to convince people to come. They offer the wage and show what the town and region can provide for employees and their families or people who come with them to set up a base and have a future here. The challenge for businesses now in areas like where I am from - it is easier for multinationals - is how to attract people to come to the area and show that it offers them and their families a future.