Mr. Chris Hazzard:

I thank the Chair and Mr. D’Arcy. I could sit here all day listening to the talk about the priorities going forward. I agree entirely about energy and the need for a national infrastructure fund. There is no doubt about it. When in comes to energy, there has been a poverty of decision-making among decision-makers across the island about what we need to do. That aspiration exists within the policy framework and the industry but getting down and delivering it is another matter. I eagerly await the report and the further work on energy.

We have mentioned today and in previous sessions with other witnesses how the world of work is changing dramatically. Often what is missing in that is the voice of the workers. Increasingly in this State, across the island, across Europe and further afield, there is dislocation and alienation of workers once again. They do not feel they have a stake in how economies are changing all around them. How does this play a part in the work that needs to be done?

Today there has been more conversation about climate change as we progressed but there is no getting away from the fact the Irish economy, both this State and all-Ireland, is among the most extractive, resource-intensive economies in Europe and has one of the worst problems with the concentration of wealth. It is not sustainable or democratic enough. We have talked of economic shocks coming down the line and climate change will be one of the big shocks inevitably coming down the line. We talk of building a more dynamic all-Ireland economy but surely we need to build a much more sustainable economy, increasing resilience to and mitigation of climate change.

We talked about Lough Neagh today and there is not a single watercourse on this island with a good rating. It is the same in Britain and is a problem across the board. Any economy going forward will have to deal with these issues. I would welcome reflection on some of those remarks.