Burton: Government made every effort to keep Web Summit in Ireland

The Tánaiste has said the Government made "every effort" to keep the Web Summit in Dublin.

Joan Burton was speaking after the technology conference’s founder Paddy Cosgrave released correspondence with the Taoiseach’s Department which he said showed "inaction" on behalf of the Government.

The letters show the Web Summit organisers sought help with traffic management, public transport, the cost of hotels and the RDS WiFi.

Meanwhile, Enda Kenny’s office released figures showing €700,000 in State aid was given to the event over the past three years.

Tánaiste Joan Burton said the coalition did everything it could to satisfy the Web Summit’s founders, adding: "The Government offered a huge amount of active support to the Web Summit - the Taoiseach in particular.

"As is the way with business, they felt they got a better offer someplace else…We'll see how it works out in practice, but I'd love to see them coming back in the future."

The next Web Summit will take place in in the MEO Arena and Feira Internacional de Lisboa, a venue that can hold more than 50,000 people, having been held in Dublin since its inception in 2010.

The company has confirmed it will continue to be based in Ireland and employs 130 people at its Dublin headquarters. Fáilte Ireland estimates that the Web Summit brought in €100m to the local economy last year.

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