Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

Ireland was recently ranked fourth in the world in terms of trade and investment. While this achievement must be welcomed, the fact that we languish further down the table in the area of technology and production is a worrying sign. Yesterday this was put into sharp focus when I stood in a 68,000 sq. ft. factory in Donegal which has been empty for ten years. Three years ago a private investor bought it and invested in it, installing all the modern conveniences and making it a state-of-the art facility with instant access to broadband. We have a worrying situation because nobody is biting. Nobody is interested.