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

We need to have a realistic debate about what we can do. IDA Ireland does not decide where an industry locates. An industry locates in areas where it can get the things it needs to grow. Very often for multinational companies, that will centre on education and the skill base. That is why the institutes of technology in Tralee and Athlone are the magnets. They are what are needed for multinational investment in a region.

However, there are many engineering companies. As a dairy master, Deputy Martin Ferris knows Dairygold which is a fantastic company. It is the sort of company we need to grow. Keenan's is a great company in the midlands. There are many such companies and those are the ones we need to grow to scale. It is not that someone in IDA Ireland sits in an office and decides it will be Kerry, Laois or somewhere else. It must build off the resources and promote each region with the magnets that can pull in the investors. It is committing to two advance facilities in Athlone, one already under construction and another for 2017. That is to build out that centre, but the regional strategy will consider the whole area. In some areas it is not multinationals and the food sector or the engineering sector may be the one we should be growing in certain regions. Combilift, a fantastic company in Monaghan, has gone completely global.

When considering regional strategy, it is necessary to look much more broadly than simply at a measure such as site visits, which is not a fair representation. Of all the employment in Laois or Kerry, IDA Ireland companies only represent 3% of employment. It is necessary to look at the entire enterprise base to determine the assets and opportunities we have. That is the concept behind the regional enterprise strategy. We need to look at our assets and opportunities and then get actions in behind them to drive those forward. That is the only way to develop a successful regional strategy. That is what I am working at.

I accept that international companies have a role to play, but critically the other 97% must have a role to play. Deputies need to look at that 97% to see what can make them grow and perform to higher standards. What can make them go international? Can we, through the local authorities, the education and training boards, and the institutes of technology, create a better environment for them to grow? That is what we are trying to do through this regional enterprise strategy. I would welcome the participation of the Deputies and the organisations in the regions to come up with the best ideas and try to put them into effect.

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