Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am delighted to speak on Second Stage of the Bill. I am a big supporter of foreign direct investment and IDA Ireland which has been out there since the very start. Mr. Padraic White was one of the first IDA Ireland men with whom I remember working. I commend the work IDA Ireland does in attracting business and especially jobs to Ireland, specifically County Tipperary. We are proud of the nearly 5,000 jobs which are the result of foreign direct investment in the greater south Tipperary area. There are another 1,000 or 2,000 jobs in Dungarvan síos an bóthar in Contae Phort Láirge.

I had the privilege last year on Lá Fhéile Pádraig, or an oíche sin, of meeting the head of IDA Ireland in Washington DC. American ambassadors and the then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, were present. Obviously, being a Tipperary man, I was looking for more jobs and industry for the county. Any of us would do the same for our constituencies in which we are privileged to be elected and of which we are so privileged to be a part. I asked the head of IDA Ireland why we could not attract jobs to County Limerick, County Tipperary or anywhere else. My wife was there with me. The head of IDA Ireland told me that he could not get companies to locate outside Dublin. It is a pity, given that everything seems to be Dublin-centric, that they will not even consider locating in Galway where there are universities, Limerick, Port Láirge or aon áit mar sin. We have a problem with which must deal.

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