Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed)
2:00 am
Dr. Tom McDonnell:
I do not think there is a right answer to that question necessarily. I think that would be a decision for the legislators because it is a question of how much you are willing to put towards this measure. My view, which I should make clear, is that this is not the correct way to go at all and that there is very little evidence the bang for the buck from this policy that will cost hundreds of millions of euro would be successful compared with the types of policies we are talking about. I mentioned earlier we have a €1.2 billion deficit in public research and development. That is the type of long-term, 21st-century solution we need to respond to the massive megatrends coming our way. Additionally, by doing these types of things, it means there are fewer resources for all those approaches.
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