The programme for government did not satisfy wishes of the Digital Media Forum (DMF) which hoped the new government would appoint a single individual with responsibility for championing information technology and creative digital industries.

The DMF said its model was the aftermath of the 2002 general election when disparate transport agencies were consolidated under a minister for transport.

"Agriculture represents only 8% of GDP and has a dedicated minister with a budget of 1.1bn, while the IT sector represents 20 percent of GDP and has none, " said DMF chairman Neil Leyden.

"The people in power don't understand technology and there has to be a quantum leap in understanding in terms of the contribution creative digital enterprise can have to the economy, industry, education, the arts and culture."

Leyden said Fianna Fail and the Green Party were the only parties to send representatives to a DMF event last Christmas designed to explain the importance of the work carried out by the 500 companies within the forum.

He conceded Green Party TD Eamon Ryan was "switched on" and welcomed his appointment to the communications portfolio where he hoped the minister would push the importance of Ireland's digital competitiveness.

"At a basic level if everyone in the country had a PC and standard broadband internet connection, everyone could be employed - even if was just selling pebbles from the shore on Ebay, " he said.

Leyden said multinationals in the technology sector employed 45,000 people, and a further 10,000 were employed in research and development.