Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

They are accepted. I do not intend to discuss figures, targets or doom-laden lists of statistics. People are tired of such things. They are aware of the figures and of the problems that exist. What they want now is to know that the country will extricate itself from the black hole in which it currently lies. They are seeking leadership and vision.

What do we have in Ireland at present that is really good? We have a fantastically well-educated population that is full of innovative and creative individuals. Ireland is an English-speaking country in a strong economic and monetary bloc. It has a good climate and good natural resources such as those relating to agriculture and renewable energy. In addition, it is a gateway for America into Europe. Ireland is also developing stronger trade and economic links with countries, such as India and China, with developing economies and consolidating existing links with others.

This country is becoming more competitive. The facts show that, relative to the remainder of the eurozone area, there has been a 5% fall in unit labour costs here. The exchange rates for the euro against the US dollar and sterling are more favourable than in previous years. The banks are just beginning to start extending credit, which is the lifeblood of our economy. Our exports are increasing, as has been reaffirmed by the positive figures that emerged this week with a strong growth in merchandise exports and sound service exports. Manufacturing output has improved, including indigenous manufacturing. These are good strong statistics. There are problems, of course, and we do not yet have an adequate level of credit flowing. Public and private debt is too high, we have a very skewed property market and high unemployment must be tackled. We must look to our combined natural and current strengths in tackling the problems in the economy.

What are those strengths? We must encourage strong entrepreneurs and support our small and medium-sized businesses, as well as those with good ideas for business. We must provide more incentive to exporters and manufacturers so we are not overly reliant on foreign direct investment. My colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, is implementing a digital economy to create thousands of jobs to be realised through new technologies being developed. We can and will go further with the generation of renewable energies. That will make us more secure in energy usage, with the possibility of energy export in the short term. This is an environmental and economic imperative, and we are carrying this out.

We can redefine and reinvent the possibilities for Irish agriculture. The past seven days have seen marvellous debates in both the Dáil and Seanad on the recent report on the future of Irish agriculture, and there is significant potential for Irish farmers with new markets through the organic route for exporting food, energy crops and forestry. We must maximise the benefits of being an island free of genetically modified organisms and in other areas of agriculture, which is the backbone of our economy.

We will continue to develop strong rural development through tourism. There is a high percentage of new visitors coming to Ireland on walking trips and we should link with local tourism plans and Leader groups to encourage walking in the north, south, east and west in order to benefit the small and medium towns and villages in our most scenic areas in Ireland. We should also link with farmers to ensure they get a spin-off from that too.

We will continue to develop our infrastructure in transport, communications, energy, water and waste, which will in turn solidify our economy. We will continue to invest in our children's education in order to consolidate a knowledge economy in which Ireland is producing new ideas and graduates which are the envy of other countries. There will be a learning environment which will incentivise foreign companies to conduct research and development here because of what we are doing in education.

We must build on those strengths of innovation, education, resourcing, land intelligence and resourcefulness to build a strong and sustainable country. Seneca was right when he said "Men love their country, not because it is great but because it is their own". He is right and I would add that women believe so too. Ireland is not a great currently, but it is our country. We are taking hard decisions and acting correctly because it is our country.

See this speech in context