Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I wish to reiterate a point I made at the Sub-Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources prior to Christmas and prior to the decision on the judicial review concerning the Minister's role. I want to focus on the Minister's role in regard to being able to give general policy direction, because through that role he has the flexibility to help accommodate potential new entrants to the market. What, if anything, has the Department done to accommodate this company that wants to invest in Ireland?

Has it done anything to accommodate this huge investment of €1 billion in the south west? It would be an unprecedented investment in the area and the feeling in County Kerry and the region is that the State has not done anything to assist and has only put obstacles in the way. What is also stated in the county is that there would be a public outcry if this amount of red tape was put in the way of a company which wanted to establish in Ireland and invest €1 billion and create 700 jobs in Dublin but because it is in a peripheral area - Kerry - no one cares. That is what is stated in the county. Its people need to hear an answer because that is their feeling. For every potential job that will not be created a young person will leave County Kerry or west Limerick because there are not a lot of other companies queueing up to come to the area. Has the Minister made contact with the parent company or Shannon LNG? Has he made any effort to facilitate it or make the path easier for it? We need to see Departments reaching out to companies throughout the world to bring them to Ireland. We do not need more red tape and bureaucracy.

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