Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister and his team for coming into us this evening. I said it to him previously on the floor of the Dáil that the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has done a fantastic job in recent years. It is why we are where we are with regard to the great numbers we have in employment and indigenous industries. The likes of the IDA have also been working hard to bring in foreign direct investment into the country and what we gain as a result of that - our corporation taxes and what that allows us to do. As a warning, we all know what we are facing into as regards the headwinds, US economy and tariffs. Should anything happen with our FDI industry and businesses, our tax take could reduce at a very quick pace, which would leave our public finances in a serious state.

Regarding the process we are going through here, when I discuss the United States, what has happened over there and the opportunities available to us, I am talking about the research and development. We have put money into research and development with companies but we must try to match that research and development with new companies coming in and pair that with the process to try to have more products made here as well.

While the Department is not in charge of the National Training Fund, more work needs to be done between his Department and the Minister for higher education, Deputy Lawless, to try to put more money into digital skills because that is where we are currently with the onset of AI and the way business will change.

With regard to the cost of doing business, right across every sector, whether it is in the FDI companies, indigenous companies, including SMEs, the cost of doing business is extraordinarily high in this country. I have huge worry - and I am not the only one - about our competitiveness in this area. We need to do something. Energy costs are huge and if we look at what is happening in Germany, for example, it is proposing to do subvention in energy costs for bigger businesses to make them more sustainable and to make them thrive. We should be looking at something similar for our businesses here. As other members said, it is not something we need to have on a yearly basis; it needs to go in permanently.

We should be trying to help companies like Aer Lingus. Companies coming into the country have support from the likes of the IDA to find premises and there is funding there for further research. Depending on what part of the country they go to, there is also funding for employees but we do not seem to be looking after bigger indigenous companies. Something may come across the table to Aer Lingus, which may need support from ourselves and the Department, to the company to take on, work with it and add an extra service from the airports here in Dublin and others around the country.