Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and the heartening statistics he outlined. I acknowledge the efforts of his Department and appreciate its ongoing engagement in this area. It is open and recognises there is an issue which needs to be addressed.

However, as we face into a chaotic global economic scene with Brexit approaching and the regressive trade policies of Trump and certain other colleagues on the Continent, Ireland must seize every opportunity and ensure everyone knows it is open for business. We must ensure that corporations know that not only can they move here but also that the labour from abroad needed to staff these organisations can look to Ireland as an open, welcoming and efficient place in which to move and work. We need that talent to come into the country. While a slowdown might be forecasted, if we want to fulfil the aim of being an island at the centre of the world, we need to address this issue now and maintain that level of proactivity to ensure we can ride out what will be a difficult economic period.