Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I note the comments of the Deputy and I agree substantially with them. There is a vital role for the Government in education in IT. It is our investment for the future in a successful economy. We need to educate people and provide them with the skills they need for a knowledge economy. That is a focus and responsibility for the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, among others. We have to make sure we are regenerating locations such as the urban centre in which the DHDA was located. The plan for that area is for it to become mixed-use development with a lot of housing, led by the Land Development Agency, LDA. I look forward to the regeneration that will bring to the Guinness centre. I visited the site recently. Guinness showed me the other development plans it has for the area, including for the other side of the street.

There is also a role for the Government in supporting start-ups, including high-tech start-ups, in order to catch up with the start-up culture that exists on the west coast of the US. I have been collaborating with ministers of other European countries, including Portugal and France, on how we can make sure our start-ups scale.

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