Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

Does the Minister see a problem with a sector that is receiving growing subsidies from the State, including the measures we are discussing now, has growing profits year after year, and, for the last decade, year after year, is investing less in machinery, equipment and technology? A total of 2.5% less is being invested each year according to a Central Bank analysis. There is something fundamentally wrong there. Does he see that as a problem? Does he accept that if we were talking about another sector in the context of subsidies, growing profits and a lack of private sector investment in technology and innovation, it is quite likely that people independently looking at that would be saying there is something fundamentally wrong here?