Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The IDA is leading that project and is working with the digital hub. IDA personnel are working on that matter and when it emerges, if they can bring forward a proposal for consideration by the board, it will of course obtain budgetary support though the IDA's grant in aid and all the other facilities we have available to assist enterprise supports. We are providing over €200 million this year for enterprise supports. When a mature project is brought before it, the board will consider it in the normal way. It is not a question of picking something out of the air and deciding "Here's the international content services centre". One must sit down and work with partners to see in what way one can bring forward experts in this area, in addition to the expertise we have identified at home ourselves. It is not a question of sitting back on any of these projects.

The work of seeking new opportunities for the IFSC is ongoing. As regards all areas of activity, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA are devising strategies based on the new situation we are in, including identifying the areas I have just mentioned. The IDA has been looking at high-level manufacturing and pharmaceuticals - areas with which we are all acquainted and where we have some strengths. Despite worldwide foreign direct investment being down by 30%, it was up 4% here last year, which was the worst year we ever had.

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