Questions for Govt on loss of Web Summit from Dublin – O’Callaghan

Published on: 23 September 2015


Dublin City Councillor Jim O’Callaghan has said the loss to Dublin of the internationally renowned Web Summit is “hugely embarrassing for the city and for the country”.

The Dublin Bay South candidate has raised questions about whether or not the Government was notified by the organisers that a re-location for the Summit was imminent.

“If the Government was notified that the Web Summit organisers were considering a move away from Ireland as host location and failed to act then serious questions need to be asked,” the Fianna Fáil Councillor said.

“The Summit is a prize event and worth millions to the Dublin economy and millions more to the country in foreign direct investment potential. To let it slip away like this is not acceptable. According to reports, the CEO of Web Summit Paddy Cosgrave is blaming a lack of State funding assistance and lack of infrastructure for the move and other contributing factors which means the eye was taken off the ball.

“It is clearly too late to address these issues now to encourage the Web Summit to remain in its home country, but the question is whether Minister Richard Bruton and the Government could have salvaged the situation earlier by acting faster and what exactly did they know in advance of the announcement today by Web Summit,” concluded Cllr Jim O’Callaghan.

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