Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

If one strips away the rhetoric that is what one will find in terms of the analysis of the debate so far. While the focus of public and political debate on the economy is often on manufacturing, most economic activity in Ireland revolves around the production of services, which includes everything from lawyers to libraries and software to stockbrokers. The services sector generates approximately 70% of GNP in the EU and in Ireland an even greater share of total employment.

Globally, Ireland is already punching above its weight in services trade. The Forfás international trade and investment survey indicates that Irish services exports have increased 167% since 1999 compared to a more modest 25% increase in the trade in goods in the same period. Ireland had a 2.2% share of world services exports in 2004, out of all proportion to our share in world economic output.

Despite these advances, many Irish services firms have not been able to take full advantage of some of the markets closest to us, as a true single market of services in Europe is still a pipe dream. Let us be honest, there has been much rhetoric this evening. We are a long way from a true single market of services in Europe

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