Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with the Chairman and other colleagues in welcoming the Minister of State to the committee. He has a considerable track record and I have no doubt that he will continue his work in a non-partisan manner, demonstrating humility every step of the way. It has been a hallmark of his time on this committee. I am being absolutely sincere about it because for seven or eight years I worked on this committee with Deputy Donohoe before he was appointed to his new ministerial portfolio. We have always had a good working relationship that was based on putting the interests of the country ahead of any self-interest. That is why I am delighted he was chosen for ministerial office. He can maintain that non-partisanship which is so important for this country. We should not divide along standard political lines, which has happened in more recent times, on the issue of Europe. I have no doubt that the Minister of State will continue with the non-partisan approach. There are huge challenges, which he has set out today. They include issues that have arisen at the European Council and elsewhere. I look forward to seeing the Minister of State's efforts in that regard.

The crisis of spiralling unemployment is the big issue that Europe is attempting to resolve. It is bedevilling not just us but the rest of Europe also. The Minister of State has identified the necessity of front-loading youth employment initiatives as well as speeding up the implementation of the youth guarantee. These are hugely important matters. I hope the Minister of State will be able to suggest more ideas to resolve that problem.

He also referred to institutional reform and his work with the European Parliament. It is important to assist the citizens of this State in having a better understanding of what our participation in Europe can do for us. We have been good at blaming Europe for so much, but that will not be a feature of the Minister of State's period in office. I am sure he will explain what we can and cannot expect from Europe. Anything we can do to focus on job creation is critical.

The Minister of State referred to the digital agenda and innovation policy, but we also need to focus on mainstream, blue-collar jobs. Because the central focus in Europe is the drive for innovation and new technology, we often lose sight of blue-collar jobs which are the bedrock of economic activity across Europe.

That has been a loss to Ireland. While it does not fall within the Minister’s remit, we have focused too much on this notional value chain. The higher up one goes, the further one gets from the notion of being a low-cost economy and there is potential for everyone. The fact of the matter is for many there will not be. We have got to bring that back into the discussion. When one raises the digital agenda and new technologies, it can turn many off.

The Minister of State referred to the necessity to deal with the banking crisis and the European banking union. Unfortunately, the relatively slow pace of development in this area is damaging to the perception of Europe. We have identified the lack of a banking union as a significant problem to the eurozone. We have set ourselves the task of implementing such a union but we are slow in our approach. I am not suggesting this is the fault of the Irish but our citizens would like to see a much speedier resolution to this matter. I understand there are significant issues concerning its establishment but we need to see a greater involvement.

I wish the Minister of State well. He has a difficult task but he is the right person for the job. I look forward to him attending the committee in the future.