Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I want to take up a few points raised by Deputy Kenny, in particular his final point as regards the agriculture and food industry. This is where we have a competitive advantage. We can provide a unique product and during the Celtic tiger years agriculture was often seen to be backstage. However, it is something we need to work on. Ireland has a unique environment for the production of food and drink. Perhaps we need to re-examine how we can market the industry to a greater extent. I always quote the fact that we have just one member of Bord Bia in the United States promoting Irish food and drink.

Allied to that is the commitment at the Council for 3% of GDP to be spent on research and development. Again, because we have few natural resources in Ireland, this is an area that might give us a competitive advantage. We should seek to increase the percentage of GDP that is spent on research and development.

During times of great difficulty one of the most important qualities is pragmatism. I realise that the former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment was berated for promoting the concept of Irish people going abroad armed with a degree or whatever, but Deputy Kenny has mentioned the fact that in Germany there are job opportunities in health, education and the renewables. We have always extolled the virtues of Europe, free movement and how Ireland is European. I believe that in times of difficulty when people are unemployed here, and there are job opportunities in Germany or elsewhere, we have got to put a mechanism or an information centre in place to assist Irish people to get jobs abroad. They are better off being employed in Germany, teaching, than on the dole queues here in Ireland. Hopefully, when the economy turns, as it will although perhaps not as quickly as we would like, these people will have an opportunity to return home.

Allied to that is the difficulty of freedom of movement. This has been emphasised by the difficulties we have seen in the passport office. This is pertinent to the three Ministers in the Chamber at present, namely, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. We have to look at the whole are of freedom of movement and signing up to the Schengen Agreement.

These Ministers must work out a formula with their British counterparts as regards how we can have freedom of movement across Europe. It should be one of the great advantages of EU membership, yet we cannot avail of this facility. If we had this facility many people would not have been held to ransom in the manner they were in recent days. We have virtually the same currency, there are no border controls and yet when we go into Europe in the first instance we must provide a passport. The time has come, several years after free movement was introduced in Europe, for Ireland to integrate itself into this. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, must work with his British colleague, the Foreign Secretary, Mr. David Miliband, MP, to try and bring about the political will to remove this barrier to free movement across Europe. It is essential and I cannot overemphasise the importance of having a pragmatic and progressive approach towards Irish people getting jobs in Europe. We were happy to have people here from abroad during the years of the Celtic tiger to help build the economy. Equally, we should be prepared, when there is a downturn, to assist Irish people in setting up elsewhere.

It is very important that the main item on the Council's agenda was safeguarding financial stability within the eurozone. Ireland's irresponsible economic policies did not greatly assist such stability over the last ten years. One might say, there but for the grace of Greece go us. We may use Greece as a fall guy, but in its own way Ireland is equally to blame.

The Taoiseach mentioned a taskforce. Notwithstanding the fact that Greece has not looked for financial assistance but if nonetheless assistance has to be given to a eurozone country in the future, what mechanism will be used to do this from the viewpoint of the member states and the IMF? This is the type of issue that should be discussed here in this House before it is agreed at the General Council meeting.

This equally applies to education. The Taoiseach said it was a question of national competence. Yesterday I met a young fellow from Germany, Nicholas, who said that everyone from his school could speak perfect English. We have to look at developing languages in our schools, including German, French and Spanish. Again, the issue of education competence and agreement on the attainment of a certain level across Europe should be teased out either here in the House or before the Joint Committee on Education and Science to determine what we should be looking for.

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