Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I welcome all the witnesses. I congratulate Mr. Hughes and wish him well in his new role. I did this when all the Ministers came into this room. Sometimes we can focus on the challenges quite a lot and that is really important but we need to take a step back sometimes and see what is being achieved. In the last 12 years, the role the Department has played in creating employment in this country has been quite impressive. Mr. Hughes spoke about creating full employment in all regions. When some people look at it they just see full employment around the country but certain regions are a little bit behind. Which regions are those? What do the witnesses think the Department can do to focus on those regions? What initiatives can be brought forward to create full employment in those regions?