Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their comprehensive report. I thank all the staff of all the Departments for the contribution they are making to try to get us out of a very difficult economic situation. My question relates to the area of research and development. We as a country are small in terms of our population and the size of our economy. Mr. Callinan referred to the average spend of EU member states on research and development. Given that we are a small country, should we not be aiming to spend a far higher percentage on research and development than the other member states of the EU? One of attributes we have, which we have been to the forefront in promoting, is our education system. We have people coming through the education sector, and it is now a question of using those young people and trying to keep them in Ireland. Are there other things we could do to expand the area of research and development?

Another issue I have raised previously is the consideration of Europe as a whole. There is far more joined-up thinking in the way research and development is done in the US compared to Europe, where member states do not seem to do as much together in this area as they could. As a result, I understand that approximately 70% of people from outside Europe and America involved in research and development end up going to the United States. We are not bringing them in from outside Europe. Should we not be focused on spending far more on research and development than the EU average rather than simply aiming to achieve that average? That is something we should examine.