Mr. John McGeady:

We need to be very careful about simply buying into the idea that because there is volatility in the global economy and because we have to be prudent and careful, we cannot use this wealth now in order to create the sort of society we want to create. That requires that political leadership. It requires the policy coherence we were talking about. It requires the policy coherence the SDGs provide. As Deputy Crowe said, there is a need for that overarching leadership and vision. In Ireland, there is a case to be made for the need for a new social contract.

The fact that almost 630,000 people in Ireland are below the poverty line while we have this enormous wealth speaks to the social issues. That policy coherence is needed at local level, with local authorities as we talked about, at the national level and at the European Union level, which is relevant to the responsibilities of this committee. We need to recognise the vast wealth we have at our disposal and ask the question as to how it will be deployed in a way that is fair and sustainable while we have it. Obviously, we have to ensure it is sustainable at the same time, not just environmentally but economically for the future as well.