Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I am surprised at the Minister's dismissal of the potential of the services directive beyond the €200 million mentioned, which is not a lot of money at one level. He mentioned that the focus was on the client companies of Enterprise Ireland, rather than those under the county enterprise boards which would be very small in terms of reaching beyond the county, let alone the country.

I am more concerned now, given the tone of the Minister's reply, than I was when I tabled this question. I sense that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is receiving advice that the services directive's potential has been neutered as far as Ireland is concerned and that it should not register high on the Minister's list of priorities. It seems that the suggestion is that a globalised market for Irish services emanating from this country is as attractive as the EU market, if not more so. Is this a fair interpretation of the Minister's viewpoint?

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