Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

The State cannot draw that down. It must set up an independent arm to draw it down which is the microfinance proposal we are developing. In the action plan for jobs we have committed for a date for it going live. We have also made a commitment on when the heads of the Bill and the subsequent legislation will be published. The Government is fronting up and stating these are target dates which it hopes to achieve which is a new approach. I, along with my officials, will be moving might and main to meet those targets. They are stretching targets and it will not be easy to meet all those that have been set. We have missed some and in the future will miss others. If we did not miss some, then they would not be real targets. It cannot be like election results in some countries that I will not name.

The geographical spread will be a real challenge. We have set a target of 50%, as had the previous Government, for industrial development outside Dublin and Cork. I am pleased this year so far that we have delivered on that target, particularly as it had not happened last year. I hope that it will be easier to get regional spread on companies in the Succeed in Ireland programme, which targets lower sized companies to pick Ireland because they are not seeking deep labour pools that are only available in cities.

If the Deputy has any further suggestions, by all means, he should send them our way. There will be an action plan 2013 just as there was one in 2012. We seek to make new approaches within the resources available.

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