Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

State agencies will be contacted by some companies and enterprises that have never approached them before. I know of small companies that will approach their local enterprise offices. We are fortunate to have two excellent local enterprise offices in Cavan-Monaghan. I hope the Tánaiste is in a position to provide additional funding for the work of these offices in 2018 because the work of and support for local enterprises will be critical.

Financial services has been identified as a sector where companies may choose to relocate to Ireland as a result of Brexit. If companies choose to relocate, will a particular effort be made to try to bring some of this investment to the Border region, which has already been adversely impacted and will be further negatively affected by Brexit? There has been a history of some financial services companies operating in the Border region. County Cavan, from where I come, has had a strong insurance industry over the years and the region has a pool of talent with the relevant skills. If companies relocate to Ireland as a result of Brexit, I sincerely hope the Department and all the industrial agencies will try to persuade them to locate in areas that have been hit hardest by Brexit and face the most difficulties post 2019.

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