Like my Seanad colleagues, I wish to bring a bit of good news to the Chamber this morning. There is no doubt that the town of Dundalk has the skills base and the infrastructure to support major industry. This is evident from the announcement this very morning by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, that SalesSense International is to create 100 new jobs in Dundalk.

SalesSense is Ireland's leading sales solution provider. Today, it opened a brand new state-of-the-art customer engagement centre in Dundalk. This will be the first fully cloud-based centre in Europe. It will create 100 new jobs for Dundalk, the surrounding area and the north-east region. SalesSense is an indigenous Irish company which has gone from strength to strength. This announcement is a great boost for Dundalk and the region. It adds to our reputation as a centre for technology and industry-----

Is the Senator looking for a debate on the matter?

No, I am the bearer of good news. As the recovery begins to take hold, the north east is attracting investment from many major companies. Many regions of the country are showing some increase in the number of jobs, although some Senators may disagree. The north east is definitely punching above its weight and for very good reasons, in my opinion.

I wish to be associated with the regrets expressed by colleagues at the ending of the Stena ferry service from Dún Laoghaire. My family and I have used it on several occasions. It is a big loss for Dún Laoghaire and for the tourism infrastructure of this country and it will have ramifications for the tourism industry in general.