Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

I do not want to be smart, but each case is different. For example, the work being done by TalkTalk, which is very much in the news, had dropped by something like 40% within the group. As a result, that fairly narrow range of services was no longer required, and the centre moved to another location because business, generally, was down. In other cases, one can seek to broaden the base of the company to future-proof it against changes. There is no single explanation that can apply in all cases. The challenge for the IDA is to work with companies. It is no secret that the IDA was engaging with TalkTalk with the aim of implementing training programmes to strengthen its base. We need to examine these issues continually.

To comment on Deputy Wallace's point, it is not an either-or situation. However, I accept his point that we have failed to develop a strong indigenous engine of growth. This is something we need to consider seriously. It is true that Enterprise Ireland has been successful with high-potential start-up companies, of which there are 80 this year. These are very dynamic companies. However, we do not yet seem to be able to increase the size of them to the kind of scale to which other countries have built them. We need to consider the obstacles to that. Are they policy obstacles, or is there an issue with the way in which we fund companies? We need to think hard about that.

In addition, we have not penetrated sufficiently broad export markets with our indigenous companies, which have tended to stay within a narrow geographical area. What we are seeing in this recession is that they are doing exactly that. Much of our success in this recession is due to indigenous companies. As the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, just said, growth in indigenous exports this year will be 10%, and this will exceed growth in foreign-owned companies. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and we are seeing indigenous companies become much more inventive.

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