Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. While a great deal of work has clearly gone into expanding the role of research and development in Ireland, perhaps I might ask a few specific questions. Notwithstanding all we have done in terms of Science Foundation Ireland and the chief science adviser to the Government, when will Ireland meet the action plan target to spend 2.5% of GDP on research and development? When will we achieve the Lisbon Agenda target of 3%? Is it a cause of concern that while Ireland is performing well on many fronts, only 1.2% of gross domestic product is spent on research and development? Since the Minister of State has identified industrial spend as a difficulty, how does he propose to ensure research and development becomes a critical component of industrial development? What has been the uptake of the tax credit for research and development?

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