Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate. When I decided to seek election to Dáil Eireann in 2013, the country was in a very difficult position, much different from the position it is in now. However, I had confidence in what the Taoiseach, his Ministers and the Government were trying to do. It has been exactly 30 months since the people of County Meath elected me.

At the behest of the Opposition, the Dáil does not discuss as often as it should the economy or issues relating to employment for young people or, for that matter, persons of all ages. The two main Opposition parties do not have any credibility on the economy and have, therefore, remained silent on the matter for the most part. The Fianna Fáil Party's economic gambling has caused chaos in people's lives for years. Many people, including friends of mine, have emigrated to the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and other countries. Sinn Féin's approach has played out in Greece with disastrous consequences for ordinary people. On the other hand, the Government's response to the crisis has worked. We have partnered constructively with many other European Union member states and we are now providing a stable business, employment and investment environment.

I compliment the Technical Group on tabling the motion because it is important to discuss national economic policy in the national Parliament. While I do not agree with the left-wing view of the world or share the Technical Group's hatred of multinational employers, I acknowledge that its members have sufficient confidence in their economic policies to table and debate an economic motion in the Dáil. In contrast, the other two main Opposition Parties do not have any confidence in their economic policies.

The motion is very hostile to multinational investment. It accuses the larger foreign direct investment companies and employers of taking advantage of ordinary people in Ireland and across the world and Fine Gael and the Labour Party of encouraging such predator-like behaviour. We must live in the real world. The people I represent in County Meath and those who are seeking employment or wish to retain their jobs or secure better employment also live in the real world and know that countries compete with each other to secure multinational foreign direct investment. The OECD has stated that taxation is at the core of countries' sovereignty and each country is free to design its corporate tax system as is chooses, including by charging the rate it chooses. Until such time as the global model changes and countries work together, it is the duty of the Government of this small island to attract as much employment as possible.

Ireland has only recently emerged from a very difficult economic period and few people have not been affected by the economic downturn. Unemployment is one of the main contributors to inequality, poverty and social discord. When the Government came to power in 2011, more than 420,000 people were unemployed and tens of thousands of others were emigrating, with many more facing the prospect of emigration. This Government had to make tough decisions and these decisions are starting to deliver change.

We are moving in the right direction in terms of employment. One of the fastest ways to bring a country out of poverty is to create employment and, more important, to create an environment in which employment can grow. The reason many of my generation in County Meath did not have to emigrate in recent years was that we had companies such as Intel in Leixlip, Alltech in Dunboyne, which employs more than 200 people, and Kingspan in Kingscourt, which employs several hundred people. The responsible and realistic corporation taxation policy pursued by the Government has been a key factor in attracting new companies to County Meath in recent years. These include MDS Global Technologies and SWG, two new companies which will provide 50 jobs at the Kells Enterprise and Technology Centre, and Facebook, which will develop a data centre at Clonee providing 115 jobs. These employment opportunities for people in County Meath would not have been achieved if the Government's responsible investment strategy had been substituted with the policies being proposed by the Opposition.

I will close with a point related to rural Ireland and multinational business. Every multinational company in the world is now practising what is known as telecommuting or working from home. This suits companies because hiring remote workers opens the talent pool for companies that would otherwise be confined to hiring people living in the immediate vicinity. Telecommuting also limits absences and generates savings in areas such as office space and electricity and lunch bills.

It suits employees who can avoid traffic and fuel costs while child care costs are reduced. However, working from home requires video chats, conference calls, VPN networks and wireless internet so that workers can constantly stay connected. The Government's generous taxation policy for multinational foreign direct investment proves that it is serious about attracting investment, but we must give our own workers the tools to work within that economic model. We really need to start focusing on improving broadband in rural areas in respect of providing employment for thousands of people in Meath and elsewhere in Ireland.

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