Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I congratulate the Progressive Democrats on putting down this motion and on the wording of the motion. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. No amendment has been proposed to the motion because it would be difficult not to support it.

The Lisbon Agenda is well worded. I compliment the Government on having chosen, as one of the themes of its Presidency, the revitalisation of the Lisbon agenda, which everyone else in the EU seems to have forgotten about.

At the same time it is necessary to put the rhetoric of this motion into a context of reality. From reading the motion one would think the Government was the champion of the university sector, was in the universities' corner and in their supporters' club, recognising their achievements, cheering them on to better efforts and supporting them with the resources they need to do the job. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the Government is systematically starving the university sector of the resources it needs.