Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Dúirt an Teachta Shane Moynihan go raibh fonn air béim a chur ar na mionchomhlachtaí agus aontaím leis. Phléigh sé conas is féidir linn iad a threisiú agus a dhéanamh níos láidre diaidh ar ndiaidh agus an tslí ar féidir linn é sin a dhéanamh.

On competitiveness, the scaling up of smaller companies has been a key agenda item for Enterprise Ireland for quite a long time. It takes a great deal to form a company and grow it. After ten to 15 years, many entrepreneurs, if they have developed a fine product and company, may sell to a larger international company and call it a day because of the exertion involved. That is not often appreciated in this House. That is what I said during the election campaign about the economic model in Ireland. It has to support entrepreneurial activity and small to medium-sized companies. That economic model is worth protecting, which is why it is important to go to the United States, be global and be involved with all others.

On the digital side, I agree 100% on sustainability around green skills. Deputy Moynihan had a great idea, but it is embedding it widely across the workforce, not just in specific areas; we tend to say we need it here or there.

Deputy Byrne raised some key issues. On service-based companies and those supported by local enterprise, sometimes it takes a while for them to get into the Enterprise Ireland slipstream. Our support systems are primarily for export-oriented companies. That is an issue. Good work has been done by the LEOs but there needs to be greater synergy and connectivity between the LEOs, Enterprise Ireland and the supports we offer. The importance of free trade is the most important point that was made this morning. The era of free trade has been responsible for the greatest rise in prosperity in the world ever. It is under threat, however. There has been growing protectionism across the world from different countries and major states. The Government is committed to ratifying the Canada-European Union deal. That was opposed in this House by Deputies opposite who were all against it because of investor clauses. Business has gone up 30% for Irish companies exporting to Canada. It has worked. It is provisionally in place. We now need to ratify it and get on with matters in that respect.

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