Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

One area from which growth and new jobs will come is the green e-economy through the development of new electric vehicles, smart metering and renewable generation, which will bring with it a whole range of different services. There are huge economic opportunities for Ireland in this area. We are getting good at it. This investment fits in within that context. Fine Gael cannot on the one hand state in its NewEra document that it will do this, that and the other and on the other hand seek to stop any element of this happening, suggest we break up companies so they cannot invest and stop investments which make strategic sense. Fine Gael cannot on the one hand talk up growing the country and on the other come in here and when provided with specific policy details on how to do so state its opposition to everything. That makes no economic sense.

See this speech in context