Mr. Hugh Kelly:

In Europe, Denmark and Germany are generally looked on as good models, while in Asia we think of Singapore. We need to draw a distinction between entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurship. The Irish have proved that they are entrepreneurial. We need only consider all of the entries in the BT Young Scientist competition and so on. We are entrepreneurial and great inventors. The problem is sustaining it. The problem is not in selling or giving it away to multinationals; we should instead be the inventors. I am keen to see Ireland become a country in which we can build a business, pass it from generation to generation and provide long-term employment, rather than one in which, if a person is fortunate enough to have equity in an idea, he or she will get to the point where his or her primary concern is the rate of capital gains tax on its disposal.

I prefer to see one incentivised to keep it.

I also wish to comment on sales courses. I, too, have struggled to find anybody with good sales training. There appears to be a believe that we have the gift of the gab in this country and there is not much more to be taught. It is a science, especially as we move forward with the use of technology. There is a cultural issue with getting people to go on sales courses. I recall when I eventually saw such a course launched, it was a sales management course. It was as if everybody was above a sales course and it would have to be a sales management course. We must have selling courses. I give credit where it is due to Enterprise Ireland in terms of export selling. It runs some excellent courses in export. I believe they are called "Excel at Export Selling" sales courses and they are very good, but we must conduct such courses for selling domestically as well. The same science applies. The courses through Enterprise Ireland are only available to indigenous Irish exporters and their staff.