Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)

I am glad to hear the Minister say that. As he knows, Fine Gael having been in government for 14 years, indigenous businesses have so far been left behind. The figures for foreign direct investment speak for themselves. The Minister talks about competitiveness and he is not wrong in the figures he is putting forward. However, he dismisses the figures relating to the competitiveness of the regions. As the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will know, the west and north-west region is in the bottom 7% in terms of competitiveness, according to the EU index. The facts speak for themselves.

Yesterday, I participated in a discussion at the enterprise committee regarding the EU omnibus package. The Draghi report indicated serious competitiveness deficits across the European Union that absolutely need to be addressed. I have huge concerns about both the contents of the proposed legislation and the manner in which it is being introduced. We certainly need simplification but what we do not need is deregulation.

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