Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will follow up on that. As I said, I understand the Senator's passion for her area. We do not want to go back to the dark days of the past, when people had to emigrate from Mayo. When I go to the US on trade missions, the number of Mayo people, or the descendants of those who emigrated during the Famine and at other times, whom I meet is significant and perhaps more than from other counties. However, it is not all about FDI. The statistics relating to FDI show, as the Senator acknowledged, that it is important we nurture some of the existing companies as they grow and expand. Sometimes one can overlook the significance of those companies that are in Mayo. It is important we nurture them and ensure they continue to grow in the region. In fact, some 70% of new jobs in multinational companies are in existing companies that are already in the country, which is an important factor to take into account. Small to medium sized industries employ 60% to 70% of the workforce, which is significant. That is why the LEOs and Enterprise Ireland have an important role to play.

The Senator referred to the site in Ballina and I will follow up on that for her. There are other counties which have sites that are earmarked for technological companies and they have the services provided and planning permission. I was recently in Ballinasloe, which is not too far from Mayo, and it also has a significant park. Obviously, the focus for IDA Ireland is to ensure it can maximise the investment around the country, particularly in those parks. As I said in my introduction, in the end companies go where they want their workforce to be located. They like to establish operations near universities and colleges, public transport, good road networks and so on. To be fair, the road network in Mayo is quite good, although I can see where the Senator is coming from in this regard.

The Senator mentioned the Galway-Mayo telecoms duct which runs 132 km between Ballymoneen in Galway to Bellanaboy in Mayo, adjacent to the gas pipeline. It is an important project, particularly in the area of broadband infrastructure for the west. The infrastructure currently provides a critical link between data centres and several multinational companies in Ireland, and the transatlantic fibre-optic cable at Killala is providing diversity and resilience to international connectivity, which is extremely important. We are looking at a situation where the future of work is changing and there is a huge emphasis on people working from home and having good connectivity and good broadband.

I will convey the Senator's concerns regarding the figures she mentioned. It is not always possible to get FDI into smaller areas, as she acknowledges, and that is something we are very conscious of. This is why we put a particular emphasis on the LEOs to ensure we can encourage start-ups, innovation and creativity. Often, those two, three, four, five or six jobs grow and grow, which is why we are encouraging this type of activity and giving the necessary funding and grant-aid to those companies. I will take on board the Senator's concerns. Balanced regional development is very much part of the Project Ireland 2040 plan, as well as ensuring the regions grow as much as the larger urban areas.If the Senator looks at last year's statistics in respect of Enterprise Ireland, she will see that 65% of the 10,000 jobs it created were outside the greater Dublin area. The Senator also mentioned IDA Ireland and 45% of those jobs were created outside the greater Dublin area. The focus and emphasis are there to ensure that the regions are heard. When good public representatives like the Senator are raising these issues in the Upper House, it is a good sign that things will happen in the future. The Senator can be sure they are very much in my mind and that of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.