Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am somewhat constrained in what I can say about this because it is essentially a dispute between the two bodies. There is a difference of opinion as to how many jobs the contract has delivered, the verification process and other details in the operation of the contract. I am hopeful the dispute will be settled in a mutually acceptable way for both sides, and I expect both sides to try to come to a resolution on this. It is in the interests of both organisations and I pay tribute to them. I pay tribute to IDA Ireland for what it has done over the years and the amount of FDI brought here, and I pay tribute to ConnectIreland for the work it has done in recent years. It is unfortunate this dispute has arisen, as I am sure the Deputy will agree. We need to resolve this before we speak about another contract or decide on the future of the scheme. We need to do a proper review and have those terms of reference. Until we know the costs, detail and precise information on the scheme, it would be difficult to go ahead with that. I appeal to both sides to come to a resolution on this in order that we can draw a line under it and then decide the future of such a scheme.

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