Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

There has been a reduction in energy costs with further reductions to come and this will address the issue of the cost of doing business. We have worked within this framework during the past couple of months and will continue to do so on the basis that critically we must revert to a situation whereby wealth - I regret Deputy Higgins has left the House - to this State will be such that it will come from the export potential which I believe we will continue to have. A number of announcements were made in the previous budget in regard to research and development. Today, there have been announcements in regard to intellectual property, which will deal with the absolute necessities of this economy.

It is important to reiterate that my Department will spend more than €500 million on enterprise in 2009, not to mention what will be spent by other Departments involved in other aspects of science, technology, innovation and education. Although I accept there will be difficulties attached to the increases introduced through some of the measures discussed here this evening, there is equally an acceptance that some of these measures are the correct way through which we continue to expand our tax base.

See this speech in context