Mr. Feargal O'Rourke:

That is an issue for the executive, rather than for the board. The remit of the board is strategy and operation. The Deputy raised the issues of grants and union recognition. On the issue of grants, there will always be clauses that remain in place for a period, whereby if the jobs are not maintained for a certain period, the grants become repayable. Every year, a small number of grants come back into the IDA coffers from companies that have not met or maintained the commitments they made through the years. That clawback of grants is a well-understood process. I do not wish to get into the specifics of a particular company, but the IDA will always negotiate in Ireland's best interest and ensure it gets money back if promises are not kept.

With regard to union recognition, that is entirely an issue for the company. The IDA cannot be in a position where it is telling companies that they must or must not have union recognition. In its 75 years, the IDA has never taken a position on union recognition. It would not be right for it to do so.