Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Thank you very much, Chairman. I welcome Mr. Wright and thank him for his report in the first instance, for being here today and, indeed, for keeping up with what has been happening in the Irish economy. I think we have a friend in Ottawa looking out for us. As a student in Canada, I remember that we used to go to western Ontario to the great seminars on public policy. That was Mr. Wright's department.

I have admired Canada for not having a banking crisis, when the United States had a huge one, and for having control of the public finances. There is a lot of Irish DNA in there with Jim Flaherty, Canada's former federal Minister of Finance, and the former governor of the Bank of Canada, who is now the governor of the Bank of England. This can be a very fruitful dialogue and, as the Chairman said, if you can give us any hints on how we might improve matters further, it would be valuable.

You have explained in great detail the reforms in the Department of Finance but it had only 39 economists out of 542 staff, which is 7%. The Canadian figure was 60 and the Dutch figure was 40. Can I put it to you, that must be an essential, that is, we cannot have untrained people so prominent? Does it explain part of the Canadian success?