Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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141. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the person or body he has met to date within the tech sector to discuss specifically the threat to Irish tech sector jobs; the person or body he has met with within companies (details supplied) to discuss saving jobs in Ireland; and the plan he has for enterprise to grow the indigenous tech sector and general enterprise sector. [56588/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On Monday 7th November, senior officials from IDA Ireland briefed myself, and Ministers of State Damien English and Dara Calleary on the emerging situation in the global tech sector. This followed a series of direct contacts by my office and the agencies with the companies involved.

My foremost concern is for the staff and their families who will be affected by re-sizing in certain tech companies in Ireland. We will assist any employees affected as they seek alternative employment or other opportunities. We have ongoing engagement with major tech employers through the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, and the Government has asked the agencies to intensify this engagement.

The technology FDI sector plays an important role in the Irish economy and has developed a strong presence in Ireland over the past 40 years. The sector will continue to grow in line with increased digitalisation and the emergence of new technologies such as AI, cloud computing and automation. It is also the case that the tech sector, while significant, operates alongside a number of other sectors which are equally important to the Irish economy, such as life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and the food and drink industry. At Government level we are focused on competitiveness and strengthening our FDI value proposition to ensure that Ireland is the best place in Europe to invest and grow for the future.

We have never taken our economic prosperity for granted. In March I received Government approval to develop a White Paper on Enterprise to articulate what needs to be done differently to realise our aspirations for our economy in 2030 and beyond.

To inform the paper, extensive consultation with the public, stakeholders, academia and other interested parties took place over the summer, as well as holding a Symposium on the project in October. It is scheduled for publication in December this year.

The Paper will set out the risks we face, the policy choices and, importantly, the trade-offs we will need to consider. It will also seek to confirm what elements of the ecosystem are working well, what should be continued or adapted in the context that Ireland’s enterprise and industrial policy has, to date, served us well. Entrepreneurship, innovation, scaling companies, the twin transitions of digital and green, investment in skills and education, competitiveness, and a continuing commitment to successful FDI attraction, among other issues, will be covered in the White Paper.