Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome representatives of ConnectIreland who have time to attend the Chamber this morning. The matter relates to ConnectIreland and the Global Irish Forum which was set up with great fanfare in 2011. There was a general feeling of goodwill towards this initiative because it made sense to use our global network to create jobs and rebuild the economy. In 2012 ConnectIreland secured a five-year contract for the Succeed in Ireland initiative. According to its figures, it has helped to create 2,411 jobs in the past three years and worked with 79 international companies in doing so. The organisation states it has a further 2,200 jobs lined up to be brought to Ireland in the future. Its literature outlines where the jobs will be located. It is impressive that it is bringing jobs to rural locations, as well as to Dublin. We all agree that rural locations badly need these jobs. Approximately 66% of the jobs are located in 15 counties outside Dublin. Most of the businesses have 20 employees or fewer and are a major boost for small towns and rural communities. According to a DKM Economic Consultants review, ConnectIreland has contributed an additional €123 million to Ireland's GDP so far which has resulted in a net benefit to the Exchequer of €26 million.

It is for these reasons that I am surprised that the Department has announced that the Succeed in Ireland scheme will not be renewed by IDA Ireland. Based on the evidence ConnectIreland has produced, why is the scheme being ended? The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation said it would be reviewed and that the Government would then consider whether it should continue. However, would it not make more sense to retain the scheme until the review is published and then decide whether to end it rather than ending it before the review is complete? The review could indicate a way in which the scheme could be further improved or even conclude that the scheme has been a success. According to ConnectIreland, there are several thousand jobs in the pipeline for rural communities which could potentially be thrown away if the scheme is not supported by IDA Ireland. The contacts built by ConnectIreland would also be lost. I am genuinely puzzled because this was a great idea and it looks like it is bearing significant fruit. As I live in rural Ireland, I particularly relate to the fact that small towns and villages are benefiting. I am concerned about what will happen to the jobs in the pipeline if the organisation closes summarily. It is a puzzle; therefore, I ask the Minister of State to comment on the future of ConnectIreland and the reason the scheme is being closed before the review has been completed and the findings examined.