Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2018
103. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Taoiseach the meetings he has held with companies (details supplied) since 2017; and the areas of Government or public policy he has discussed at these meetings. [22096/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince I was appointed Taoiseach on 14 June 2017, I met with Google and Facebook on the following occasions.
On 12 September 2017 I met with the Vice President of Google where our discussions included Google’s plans for their operations in Ireland, and ongoing technological trends and the resultant regulatory challenges.
I had a three day visit to Seattle, Silicon Valley and San Francisco from 1 to 3 November 2017. The primary focus of the visit was on growing trade, investment and tourism opportunities between Ireland and the US, and on highlighting Ireland’s priorities in the context of Brexit and other international developments.
As part of the visit I visited the Headquarters of a number of companies with significant investments and operations in Ireland, including Facebook and Google. At each of these meetings, senior executives outlined their very positive experiences in Ireland, including the strong capabilities of their Irish-based workforces, and the positive outlook for their operations here. During the visit, I met Mr. Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook, however, I did not have any substantive discussion on regulatory matters with him.
On 8 February 2018 I attended the official opening of the new Google building in Grand Canal Dock.
