Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

We have been encouraging investment in the broadband sector for some time and have put forward direct funding from the taxpayer through the MANS network. There has been significant improvement in that area, although obviously there is some more work to be done, despite the fact that people like to portray that no progress has been made in that area.

The Deputy suggested that it is possible to continue regardless of the position of the public finances in every area of spend and that not to do so is a backwards step. The problem is that if we do not get our public finances in order, stabilise our deficits and consider, as we will have to do in the coming years, reducing that deficit, we will put at risk all that has been achieved. Therefore, whatever adjustments are being made are against a background of significant improvements during good times.

Some steps backward have to be taken to adjust to the budget realities but the current position is still far better than where we were five, ten or 15 years ago. Unless people are prepared to maintain some sort of perspective on what the economic and financial realities are, this discussion will not be relevant. People are trying to suggest we can continue to borrow €400 million per week regardless and it will all be paid for some day. It is not possible to have that sort of debate or to fail to bring that into the context of what we are talking about.

Considerable investment has been made in a range of areas in education. Only last week, an advanced microscopy laboratory was opened in CRANN, a centre in Trinity College Dublin, with an investment of about €12 million by Government through the Higher Education Authority and Science Foundation Ireland. The most up-to-date microscopes and lasers will be made available to Irish companies, both multinational and local firms. The investment relates to ongoing research in medicine and technology. This is an example of the types of investments that are being suggested by the innovation task force and others.

Through Science Foundation Ireland and the Higher Education Authority, significant funding is being made available to develop incubation facilities in which research can be conducted in a way that allows it to be commercialised thereafter leading to the creation of jobs. While some research is pure or more "blue sky" in nature, much of it is applied. Our objective is to get companies to see the value of research and development, as many of them do, whether in Trinity College Dublin in the type of advanced operation to which I referred or through institutes of technology where various manufacturing and other companies are engaged on an ongoing basis with developing products and services.

In Carlow last week, I saw a good example of local entrepreneurship working with institutes of technology to develop opportunities, jobs, products and services. This is the practical reality for those who are engaged in this area. They have a much more positive view of it than is often portrayed here.

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