Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

It is not the Government going in to rescue bankers. We need to go in to rescue the banks because those banks and bankers will be needed. We do not need to create a pariah group in our society but we need bankers who can get back to the business they should be in, which is lending to encourage and support enterprise in our country. That is a first task in getting us out of the crisis the banking failure, the planning failure and the property bubble failure got us into.

I meet many people on a daily basis who tell me I am very unlucky to have gone into Government at a time of such difficulties. I must be honest and say that is not the way I look at it. In a strange way, it is a time for all of us, on either side of the House, to rise to the task of public service, which is an honourable one whether one is in government or opposition. However, being in government brings particular responsibilities.

I entered into government with my Green Party colleagues because I believed the long-term thinking embodied in our party's basic philosophy is exactly what is needed now. It was due to that long-term analysis that, throughout these recent years as a property bubble evolved and these banking failures became apparent, we saw it for what it was. We now see the way out of this difficulty. We are in government to serve the national interest. I am in government working day in, day out, night and day, because I see a way for this country out of this difficulty, based on the sustainable long-term thinking which we have been working on for 25 years as a party.

That is the answer I give to people when they tell me it must be shocking. It is shocking. The crisis is difficult. However, when one has a sense of where we have to go, it is not as shocking and helps to overcome the fear and the sense of uncertainty and inaction which comes with the crisis. Acting is exactly what we are doing now.

With regard to one of the major news stories today, it is interesting that the US Government has had its stimulus package accepted to get the US out of crisis. The key details of the package confirmed to me that the actions we are taking are in the right direction and are the right actions to bring economic recovery.

In considering what is new at the centre of that economic package which has been agreed in the United States, five points stand out. The first is the development of renewable energy, which will power that country and our country regardless of what happens in Saudi Arabia or Russia. Crucially, the development of the grid is centre stage. I seek to ensure that what I am doing day in, day out, is actually delivering such infrastructure and delivering the grid. We saw yesterday the ability of the Government and our people to get support from the European Union for a €100 million injection, which is important at this time when money is hard to come by, to build one of the crucial parts of that infrastructure, the connection between the north of Dublin city and north Wales, which is a vital and valuable lifeline for this country that will bring down our electricity prices and give us a secure supply. I look for the support on the other side of the House for EirGrid as we develop this crucial piece of infrastructure for us to move to the new economic energy future, which is the development of Grid 25. We are doing it.

I hear the talk about energy efficiency and the retrofitting of homes, which many people are now coming to, but which we have been actually working on for four or five years in opposition and in government. Last year, we tried and tested a working model of the best way to deliver these new energy efficiency packages for the home, and we found they work. In this cold winter, we will be able to go out to every single home, in every single county, and offer an investment that is better than any other and gives a better return than any other, to insulate each home and save hundreds of euros this year, next year and every year thereafter because it is an investment that is true, wise and risk-free.

The third big element of the package in the United States concerns the development of schools broadband. I have just come from a meeting with the Minister for Education and Science where we were tying down the details of how we roll out to our secondary schools the sort of high-speed broadband I believe is central to any new education system. We need to give our students the chance to learn how to learn, rather than to learn off. We can get access to information via the new broadband network. We need to give them the confidence and the ability, which they surely have, to use it in an innovative and flexible way. We are not talking about it, we are doing it. We are targeting schools, learning from there and going on across the country.

In terms of the package in the US, the US Administration is talking about ways in which it will try to cover those rural areas that currently do not have broadband. We are not talking about it; we are already doing it. Last week we launched a €223 million broadband programme which will cover every parish in the country that cannot get broadband currently. This will be delivered in conjunction with the private sector and will start in April. This is the action necessary to restore confidence and generate economic renewal. The fundamental message of the package in the US is that investment in science, research and development is its cornerstone. It is, similarly, the cornerstone of the economic plan this Government has set. The design for a smart, sustainable and renewable economy is based on two sound foundations. First, investment in research which is already under way. Science Foundation Ireland is leading the country into the future in this regard and this is the correct way to proceed. This is backed up and it is one and the same as the development of a green economy. A digital economy based on a clean power supply will be secure forever and a day, because it is our own. This is such a clear and clever direction in which to go that it may seem too simple. However, this is the plan and the actions emerging from it are substantial.

The plan will provide economic recovery and it can provide hope for our people. The green economy will provide real jobs, such as those for the people who insulate homes and the lawyers who sign the contracts for wind turbines. Factories and data centres will be able to work off cheaper power sourced from the energy future we are plotting. This economic plan will save money. As every kilowatt of electricity is generated, it will save money as well as creating jobs. Every house and school retrofitted is saving money as well as keeping people warm.

The plan is based on a vision which can raise people's spirits, which is perhaps more important than anything else in these dark and difficult days. A sense of direction and clarity about where we are going is vital. In this regard Ireland can be the silicon valley of Europe. We can set ourselves a bold vision of a green island with a green economy which fits into the broader direction in which the world is moving. We have a real-world plan which can save the country. We are not discussing the plan, we are implementing it every day. This action supports the people and provides a sense of courage for what will be difficult times, but not times which we cannot overcome. I look forward to the task and to continuing to work with my colleagues in Government.

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