Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together.

The Succeed in Ireland initiative has been operated by ConnectIreland on the basis of a contract with IDA Ireland that was originally agreed in March 2012. The contract was extended by 12 months in March 2016 and is now set to conclude on 26 March 2017. It would not be permissible for any further extension to be granted on account of public procurement law.

The board of IDA Ireland, at its meeting in November 2016, considered the future of the initiative. It decided the agency would not re-tender for its continuation at this stage.

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However, a definitive decision was not taken on the ultimate future of the Succeed in Ireland initiative.

I have asked my Department to commission a review of the initiative after the conclusion of the current contract. This will help to provide us with a better understanding of Succeed in Ireland's results and its wider contribution to employment generation. The review may also consider the development of a new initiative. It is important that this review be undertaken before a determination is made on how we proceed.

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