John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

Prior to being elected to this House I was involved in business. At that time the economy was neither as advanced nor as developed as it is today. Then, businesses were put to the pin of their collar to repay bank loans at rates rising occasionally to 20%. Since being elected I have seen major improvements in the economy, due in no small way to the successive Ministers for Finance since 1997 who provided for the macromanagement of the economy and ensured the environment was right to develop business and jobs. As a result of that significant growth many people are returning to work here instead of young people, educated to the highest level here, being forced to leave.

The Lisbon Agenda and this debate are timely and significant. While Ireland leads other economies and exemplifies best practice in defining and developing an economy and ensuring all boats rise with the tide of development, it can in turn set the pace of change in the Lisbon Agenda.

Our national reform programme, due to be completed by 28 October, should highlight several issues. The businesses that increase jobs and provide the services required by an expanding economy are essential to social partnership. There is a lesson for us in this. For example, it is extremely difficult to get delivery of a connection for a new business or an electricity pole outside one's premises. The private sector must begin to deliver services as quickly as the economy requires.

The same applies to telecommunications and information and communication technologies. That sector drives almost every other aspect of job creation and change in education, yet problems such as unbundling of the local loop and the availability of broadband remain. Despite the sums invested by the Government in this area there is a significant deficit in the availability of broadband throughout rural Ireland, whether through fibre-optic cable or wireless. In some cases that service is unobtainable for business purposes as well as domestic use. That is not good enough for our leading economy in the context of the Lisbon Agenda and best practice for many types of jobs and educational courses. The private sector urgently needs to develop ways to deliver its services to the economy more efficiently than it does.

In the United States, Professor NicholasNegroponte made a significant difference to the changes effected by then President Clinton in the ICT area, even if it was only to set the pace or the trend. We can do much in this area because we are a leading exporter of software. Many innovative people here are anxious to develop ICT.

Private industry and Government need to co-operate on developments in science and technology. We must consider our educational structures to ensure they devote significant attention to science and technology and develop research and development as much as possible.

We must also examine how the concepts within the social economy are set out and managed. Trinity College devises programmes which are used by those involved in social economy programmes, community projects and homework clubs. We do not pay enough attention to ensuring that young people in marginalised areas, such as we have in all our constituencies, are enabled to complete second level education and have the opportunity of going on to third level.

In the context of this report and what is being said with regard to the Lisbon Agenda, reference is made to the fact that there are many more third level graduates elsewhere and that education to third level should be made available in Ireland on a much wider scale. NUI Maynooth offers courses which are available in Kilkenny from the lecture centres in Maynooth. Outreach courses are available through St. Kieran's College in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. However, every report I have seen, whether from a chamber of commerce or those interested in education, highlights the fact that there is no significant presence of third level colleges in the regions.

To correct that, Waterford Institute of Technology, for example, should be classified as a university. We have seen efforts made by the institutes of technology in Carlow and Waterford to have outreach centres in their nearest urban centres. In the south-east region the chamber of commerce continues to point to a third level education deficit. I would like to see that rectified as part of the micromanagement of the regions and their economic needs. It is no longer all about urban centres. If communication technology tells us anything, it is that even in the remotest parts of any country or society, the types of courses now available from universities through technology should be made available to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to avail of economic benefits, to get their education, to improve their skills and to move on. How the EU develops the third level education area needs to be dealt with in the context of Europe's attitude to its member states.

Third level education in the south-east region is essential in the context of the businesses which already exist there. We must consider how IDA Ireland looks at job creation and technology. We have moved significantly away from manufacturing. Most constituencies have had the experience of a manufacturing company siting itself elsewhere because of low costs. We need to replace those jobs with jobs which are higher up the food chain, so to speak, in the context of income. IDA Ireland should change its policy with regard to the sites it owns and ensure there is a wider remit in terms of how it attracts businesses. We now see financial services established throughout the regions, and they need to be supported.

I acknowledge the efforts being made by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through the fund now available for companies to improve staff skills and ensure that the programme of ongoing education and training is available.

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