Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to stretch the debate a little further.

Last week, within a day or so of the publication by the ESRI of its mid-term evaluation of the national development plan, another publication appeared that is highly relevant to this discussion. The annual rankings of international competitiveness contained news for Ireland that was nothing short of shocking. Will the Leader tell me if this is alliteration?