Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank the witnesses for coming to our committee. Unfortunately, I had other commitments. I caught part of the meeting on the monitor. I apologise for not having been here sooner. I have read the opening statements and I thank the witnesses for providing them to us and for the work they are doing generally. Competitiveness is a top priority from a Government perspective but it is a huge challenge from a European perspective. The statistics read flatteringly for us by comparison with Europe, but we should not be sitting on our laurels and thinking that just because we compare favourably with other European countries when it comes to competitiveness that the job is done. Europe has very significant challenges. To try to compete globally is more challenging every day. The Draghi report is very helpful, but Europe needs to act as one. We need to see more ambition and energy as well as a streamlining and simplifying of how business is done in Europe and how this Single Market we talk about is made a reality. If it is not then what we are doing from a European perspective is being the home of innovation, design and creation and exporting all that creativity when those start-ups, innovators and inventors need funding. They leave and go to the US. It is a huge issue. With every issue there is a solution and Ireland can play a huge part in that solution and there is a big opportunity for us in the European space.

On immediate challenges, the witnesses called it out that it is a cultural issue here with the idea of failure. Was it Beckett who said fail, fail again, fail better? We need to invest in failure. We need to inculcate that culture of failure as being success and that is a big mindset change. It is not something that can come from the top down. It has to come from the bottom up. It has to be taught in our schools. It has to be organically driven as much as institutionally driven. I would like the witnesses to talk about how the State can better support that culture. It is really important.