Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The consultation period was rushed even if people knew that it had been flagged. The statistics bear out the claim that a decreasing proportion of funding is going towards basic research. The Government's policy deliberately sets out the research prioritisation. The last time we discussed this matter, the Minister did not shift away from that. It is the nub of the problem. No one is saying that the Government should not care about jobs. That is fine. Instead, people are saying that there is a serious imbalance. Everything that the Minister and Minister of State have said seems to indicate that they are entrenching this viewpoint. It is lunacy. They are the only people in the economic and scientific communities who have that view. Studies show that there was 54% basic research spend in 2010 and 2011. There is an amalgamated figure for the 2012-13 period, but it decreased by a couple of percentage points. They key figure will be the 2013-14 one. The direction in which spending is going is wrong, but none of those opposite seems to be listening.

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