Mary White (Fianna Fail)

The Senators all know they will get a bar.

I would like to talk about the enterprise agencies, such as Enterprise Ireland and the county enterprise boards.I had the honour of being appointed by Mr. Frank Feely, then Dublin city manager, to the evaluation committee of the first Dublin City Enterprise Board and I spent five years on that. I agree with the Minister that there is a tremendous opportunity all over the country for these enterprise boards to give the start and unleash further entrepreneurial spirit for the country. Competition has intensified around the world and we are threatened by China and India. The Indian government competes with us with intensity and passion. Senator Quinn may find it difficult to believe that it is more difficult to develop indigenous companies than to get foreign direct investment into the country. Getting Irish companies to grow and develop is more difficult. I congratulate Enterprise Ireland, the county enterprise boards, FÁS and Bord Bia and would like to mention my experience during six years on the board of Bord Bia. Former Deputy Joe Walsh, as Minister for Agriculture and Food, had the vision to see the need for Bord Bia, which would drive Irish food and drink products and market them around the world. He was a tremendous Minister for Agriculture and Food. He handled the foot and mouth disease outbreak on a weekly basis. When I see the trivial matters that cause hardship in Leinster House I realise how remarkable was his achievement in getting us to fight off foot and mouth disease.

I would like to give three examples of successful Irish companies. Mr. Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, is one of the most enterprising people I have met. I have known him for approximately 30 years. He was a missionary and zealot for getting foreign direct investment into Ireland. Morning, noon and night he intensified his work on that. I was aware of this because my husband was chief executive of the IDA. It is fantastic that Mr. Ryan is driving Enterprise Ireland. Irish companies are competing and winning. Mantis Cranes of County Donegal is the only manufacturer of self-erecting cranes outside continental Europe and supplies the US market to an estimated value of €700 million per annum. Selatra is a small, Irish-owned software company that has made a significant breakthrough in the Russian mobile telephone market. Prodieco has made considerable gains in the German engineering market. Can Members imagine an Irish company competing with German engineering companies?

Senator Quinn was not here when I held up a copy of the cover of The Economist from January 1988, which named Ireland "the poorest of the rich" and portrayed us as the basket case of Europe. However in 1999 The Economist called us the "Celtic Tiger" and the "shining light of Europe". The cover illustration shows a glow coming from Ireland on the map of Europe. The seeds had been sown over many years by Government and the enterprise agencies. I have several copies and Members may keep them as icons. The first cover showed poor people begging on the street and it went around the world.