Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is only fair to acknowledge the huge effort put in by the Minister and the Department in respect of what Commissioner Almunia first proposed, which would have been detrimental to Ireland. We now have the opportunity to focus on a number of issues. The 50-50 split in job announcements, between the old southern and eastern region and the BMW region is not happening. Is that still a commitment of the IDA and the Department or has it been abandoned in the context of the new rules?

Can the Minister specifically define how these changes affect the IDA way of doing business? We have had much controversy and discourse about taxation levels. The change in respect of aid of foreign direct investment has potentially more impact and a more serious impact. Does diversifying activities mean companies involved in new product development and that may be working with SFI can continue to do so? Are we still in a position to support them if they move new product development into job creation?

What does the Minister mean by fresh investments? Does this involve new plants producing the same product or expanding the product line in response to market demand? Will we be allowed to support that? Has the IDA given a formal response to the new proposal on the table?

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