Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Government is investing over €570 million in science, technology and innovation next year. We are continuing with that. When one considers the budgets for the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, one will note the total budget for enterprise support next year is €508 million. It will rise by €50 million in 2012 and 2013 because that is the commitment we are making in terms of focusing on the promotion of growth and job creation.

When people talk about the need to put jobs and growth at the centre of our economic agenda, we agree with them, but one cannot just ask where the stimulus is. The stimulus is that our competitiveness is improving and that we are investing €6.5 billion next year through commercial semi-State companies and our public investment programme. By any rule of thumb, that amounts to the maintenance of over 65,000 jobs.

If one considers the activation area, what is occurring under the business expansion scheme, the supports from Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, the areas of science, technology and innovation and the work of Science Foundation Ireland-----

See this speech in context