Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The difference between the Europe 2020 and the Lisbon strategies is that the former is more sharply focussed with its narrowing down to five key objectives, namely employment, research and development, climate change, education and social inclusion. Not all of the Lisbon strategy was poor but much of it depended on the adherence to it by member states.

The fact that Ireland has a 46% participation level in tertiary education means that we took certain issues seriously. We worked to enhance our educational performance and achieved such a participation rate through significant investment in third level capacity over the past ten years. One does not get the extra numbers into third level if more places, seats, lecturers and education personnel are not provided.

Deputy Creighton is correct that many member states did not reach 3% of GDP on research and development. Ireland did transform its research and development landscape in the past decade so that it now stands at 1.5% of GDP. In 1997 when I became education Minister the departmental budget for research was nil with no programme for research in third-level institutions, PRTLI, or Science Foundation Ireland. While significant changes have occurred in this area, we must also focus in outcomes and intensity levels in research.

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