Last week, PayPal announced a cut of 62 jobs in Ireland and the closure of its Dundalk office at the end of March. PayPal stated that there were to be a small number of jobs lost in Dundalk - 27, to be exact. This is less than the average, based on the 2,000 worldwide losses that PayPal announced in January. However, I empathise with those affected by these job losses. It is difficult for all concerned. I hope that they will find something soon.

Nationally, the IDA's strategy, entitled Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, reflects the approach and ambition of the programme for Government whereby, in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the IDA's success is measured by the impact of foreign direct invest on the Irish economy. We need to attract new businesses and jobs to County Louth, where we have the Xerox complex, the state-of-the-art Actavis building and the National Pen site. I ask the Taoiseach to step in and direct the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to act on these opportunities by creating jobs in County Louth.

As the Deputy knows, the closure of PayPal in Dundalk and overall redundancies in the tech sector are part of a wider and disappointing global trend, one from which Ireland has been relatively insulated. Regarding Dundalk, the north-east regional enterprise programme will commit to finding new investment for Louth and the wider region. I look forward to Ministers going across the world in the coming weeks to attract business into Louth and across the State.