Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with the Leader and our leader on this side of the House on what was said about Senator Jimmy Harte. I wish him well. He was very popular here and was so proud and delighted to be a Senator. I know that from his contributions and meeting him. It is sad that he has decided to resign for health reasons. We wish him a speedy recovery. I also extend best wishes to him, his wife Mary and family.I served with his father, Paddy Harte, as a Deputy and I took over from Paddy in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in 1982.

When I met Jimmy I was struck by how proud he was of his connection with the FAI and the staff there, whom he brought into the House. We were all delighted to be in the House but he was particularly delighted as he had worked very hard to get here, having previously been a councillor. His father and mother were also here and they were very proud of him. It is disappointing but we wish him every success.

The decision by Paddy Cosgrave's company to move the web summit from Dublin to Lisbon is a major disappointment. I pay tribute to him and his team of 120 workers in bringing the summit here, which grew from a small number, 400 or 500, in 2010 to 30,000 last year. The Government should explain why it allowed this marvellous event to leave this country. It was a great contributor to Dublin and to Ireland, because what comes into Dublin also spreads, from a tax point of view, to people around the country. As the former political head of Bord Tráchtála, now Enterprise Ireland, I believe the State should have its own, Irish web summit next year. I do not see why we are depending on any individual company to arrange for seminars and functions in this country, which is the leading light in the world. Mr. Cosgrave has no monopoly on seminars or summits. I am sure that Bord Fáilte, Enterprise Ireland and other enterprising people would be prepared to get the leaders of Google and such organisations together to bring our own international summit to Ireland and to hold it, not just in Dublin but in Galway, Cork, Limerick and other parts of the country.

Let us be more proactive in this regard. This country is Ireland Inc. and we are stronger than any Paddy Cosgrave company. We can do it if we want to do it, with the will and the right leadership, which I hope will be forthcoming from the last dying sting of this particular wasp of a Government.