Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister to the House and I also welcome the Bill. There are numerous precedents to bringing one agency under another. There were some worries about this case, but those worries have since been eased and I wish the people of Shannon Development the best of luck. Coming from Galway, I often looked on in envy at Shannon because we did not have the same development until the city and county development boards were created. They are now doing tremendous work and I am glad to see that the city and county development boards in the mid west will also have their offices in Shannon.

has been the creation of enterprise centres. They are the new advance factories, because that concept is probably gone. The enterprise centres set up by Enterprise Ireland have been very successful and today's budget will be of great benefit in setting up more of those centres.

I congratulate the Minister and the Government on the budget. It was very much pro-industry and small business in particular. I want to see more involvement in those centres.

One query I have about this issue is that Enterprise Ireland does not sufficiently investigate where it can get sites or buildings for these small industries. I chair a committee of Deputies and Senators from the west. In conjunction with the Council of the West, we have met on a number of occasions and we are very glad Enterprise Ireland is to meet us. I welcome that initiative as well because it is very important. There is no excuse for agencies such as this not visiting different centres, given the early flights available between Dublin and Galway and Shannon. There are many opportunities to hold such meetings and they can all be accommodated in one day, the intention being to discuss how best industry may be promoted in our area. That is one of the developments I gladly welcome.

I recall that we spent 26 years on a committee trying to get a rail corridor which, thankfully, is now being begun to be built between Ennis and Athenry. Fr. Mícheál MacGréil would often say it was a pity Iarnród Éireann would not meet us. We tried for a long time and, eventually, its representatives flew into Knock Airport, we had some great discussions and this helped in getting the ultimate Government decision to open the western rail corridor.

I would like to see the same thing happening with these bodies. I hope the good work done by Shannon Development is recognised. It is possible to have a satisfactory transition as happened when other bodies were subsumed into larger agencies or Departments. If the work Shannon Development has done can be done by Enterprise Ireland, so much the better and I welcome the Minister's continual interest in setting up more enterprise centres.