I thank the Taoiseach for the information. It is essential to acknowledge the tremendous efforts farmers have made and continue to make to improve water quality. Last week, when I met the Offaly branch of the Irish Farmers Association, members made a compelling case that this committee can achieve and that now is the time for industry, State agencies and local authorities to match those efforts and provide real assistance. This issue is not solely caused by farmers, yet they stand to suffer the most if they do not …

I want to speak about Ireland's position as a leading destination for foreign direct investment and, more importantly, our competitiveness. Over the past decades Ireland has built a strong reputation as an attractive location for multinational companies. However, in a rapidly changing global economy staying competitive requires continuous work, not only in attracting new investment but also in maintaining companies that are already here. Ireland's success in attracting foreign direct investment is no accident. Our …

I thank the Minister of State. We are all very happy with the endeavours of the IDA. As I said in my question, the IDA is a world leader in what it does in attracting foreign direct investment into Ireland. In fact, it is so good that it is copied by many other countries around the place. We talk about the 50% of companies that the IDA will endeavour to locate outside of the Dublin region. Unfortunately, this was the case in the previous plan and the plan previous to that and again, unfortunately, we have not had 5…

It is 59%, sorry.

This is my first time to address the Dáil and I am delighted to be here as an elected Member representing County Offaly. As we know, this does not happen without the hard work of a lot of people because nobody can do this on their own. I want to put on the record of the Dáil my sincere thanks to my family, friends, fellow party members, my two directors of election, Peter Waters and my brother Matt, and, of course, the faithful people of our proud county of Offaly for the trust they have put in me. I will do everyt…