Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One can see from the figures that overall State agency spending on Irish-owned companies is approximately €770 million versus €470 million for foreign-owned companies. The Government is spending substantially more on indigenous companies. These figures are for my Department and do not take into account State spending on fisheries, etc.

The policy of many Governments over the years has been that grant support is confined to export-oriented companies. We do not provide grant supports to companies trading in the domestic economy. Employment in the two sectors is roughly equal. Despite this, we are clearly spending more on Irish-owned companies, which is how it should be.

I agree with the Deputy that we need to develop a strong indigenous engine of growth. That is why we are looking at new ways in manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

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