I am very pleased to be here today and to have performed this tree-planting ceremony to mark both the construction of this new DER Ireland Ltd facility and the establishment of another significant IDA Ireland supported investment - a new Software Development Centre by START AMADEUS Ltd, which will create 100 new jobs over the next three years. Today's event marks two very significant developments -

• the construction of the new DER Ireland Ltd. facility, and
• the establishment of another significant IDA Ireland supported investment - a new Software Development Centre by START AMADEUS LTD., - which will also be located in the new building.

T his occasion has given me the opportunity to meet the General Managers of the two new facilities :

• Mr. Kevin Keogh of DER Ireland Ltd, and
• Mr. Gregory Cawley of START AMADEUS Ltd.,

I am also delighted to welcome to Ireland, more particularly Galway, all of the people visiting from overseas - From Deutsches Reiseburo, Frankfurt -

• Mr. Norbert Fiebig, Managing Director,
• Mr. Reinhardt Werner, Director of Finance,
• Mr. Franco Gangemi, Coordinations Manager.

F rom START AMADEUS GmbH -

• Mr. Peter Klein, Managing Director.

At the outset, I wish to heartily congratulate Mr. Kevin Keogh, General Manager of DER Ireland Ltd, and all at DER, for the speed at which their new shared services and teleservicing facility is progressing.

Evidence of this is the rate of construction of the new 35,000 square foot building and the pace of recruitment - I understand that DER already employs 29 people working at a temporary premises here in Galway.

This investment by DER, which is being supported by IDA Ireland, was announced in April 1997 and will create 175 new jobs over three years.

It is noteworthy that both of the companies involved in today's event are subsidiaries of major German undertakings. DER Ireland Limited is, of course, a subsidiary of Deutsches Reiseburo Frankfurt, which is Germany's largest travel agency chain and third largest tour operator and is owned by Deutsche Bahn, the German railway.

The second event which we are marking today is the announcement of a new Software Development Centre for START AMADEUS GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, one of the world's largest airlines. The new Centre - START AMADEUS Limited - which will have a joint share of the new DER building, will create 100 new jobs over the next three years and is being supported by IDA Ireland.

I would like to sincerely congratulate Mr. Gregory Cawley, the General Manager of the new Centre. Gregory is a native of Galway, and comes back home after working for a number of years in Switzerland. He is to be complimented for the speed with which this project has got underway. I know that recruitment has commenced and that, already, 14 people have been employed by START AMADEUS Ltd.

This Galway Centre will have part of the responsibility for the information technology (IT) activities of the Lufthansa Group. These activities will include core software development, software testing, redesign of legacy systems and the customisation of products and systems for the Group. Due to the highly technical nature of the work here, those employed will be graduate software engineers.

The setting up of this Centre here in Galway by START AMADEUS represents a continuation of the Company's growth path since it is was established in Frankfurt in 1971 to develop computer reservation systems for the airline industry in Germany. It has developed a close strategic alliance with AMADEUS, the world's largest computer reservation system, and now offers a comprehensive range of computerised reservation products for a wide range of clients including airlines, hotels, car rental firms, ferry companies, event organisers, cruises and rail, bus and tour operators.

Employing 700 people and with an annual turnover of IR£168 million, I understand that it has a network system with the largest number of computer links in Germany.

I am also delighted that this Centre will represent a further strengthening of the links between Deutsche Lufthansa AG, one of the world's largest airlines, and Ireland. It already has a number of major State-supported investments in Ireland including a Reservation Centre which was established in Dublin in 1997, and now employs 200 people, and three companies in Dublin and County Clare employing, in all, about 1200 people in aerospace maintenance and repair.

I wish the managers and employees of both DER Ireland and Start Amadeus Ltd. continued success for the future, both here in Galway and in the International Market Place.

Finally, I also wish to pay tribute to Mr. Tom Hyland, Area Director and Mr. Jim Murren, Regional Manager of IDA Ireland, who were instrumental in ensuring that these projects were brought to a successful conclusion. Their hard work has been rewarded with today's announcement, and I, on behalf of our Government, and the people of Galway, sincerely thank them.