Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For Deputy Flaherty's information, we will continue to work hard on that. It is in the capital plan. Hopefully, we will have a strong budget for business. We are working hard with our bilateral discussions with both Ministers to ensure that we have a strong business budget and, obviously, IDA Ireland will be central to that.

In response to Deputy Murnane O'Connor, I will endeavour to get an update specifically in relation to Carlow. The figures relating to IDA Ireland are exceptionally strong. Its current strategy contains a target of 50,000 jobs. The actual number is in excess of 70,000. Critically, as I stated earlier, one third of its investments are new-name investments, which is very exciting for the country, and two thirds are repeat business, which shows the confidence that companies have in the Irish economy, in the value offering that we have and in the skills of our workforce. The latter is the primary issue here. We have such a good and high-skilled workforce. Some 8% of graduates here go to the ICT sector, which underwrites the growth in that area. We are the second largest exporter of ICT worldwide. We are doing huge work in that area. We will continue to do that and to work for all counties.

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