Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

For many years, I have known Deputy Higgins's view on State industry and private industry. He regards one as all good and the other as all bad. I do not have the same philosophical view and I believe there is room for a dynamic State sector, which we need to protect and enhance, but not everything in the State sector is, by definition, good. Neither is everything in the private sector, by definition, bad. I will provide Deputy Higgins with a concrete example from my constituency. The State-owned company, ESB, sold Great Island power station to a private company called Endesa. From being a mothballed generating station owned by the State, it is now a facility in which the company invested €300 million and it is bringing natural gas to my county for the first time. It has the potential to create many jobs. We want to be smart in terms of utilising resources and looking to the next generation of State companies, including Irish Water, to generate jobs and provide the infrastructure for further jobs. The sale of BGE grew up from a company designed to distribute gas and built up a generating capacity from wind farms to gas power generating stations.

To sell off the generating element of the company and create real competition with a State company will test the mettle of the ESB. It is well fit for purpose and it will be good for the business and private consumers.

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