Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I am good at that all right but I would agree with many of the points raised, which perhaps were not in my own thinking when I started out initially.

The Lisbon Agenda started in 2000. The idea behind it was that by 2010 the Europe Union must be the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy. I began to think about that sentence, asked myself what it means and considered how we should go about that. The Lisbon Agenda was launched when there were 15 member states. I asked myself how could we achieve the above goal with 15 member states all of which have different philosophies, social thinking etc.

Then I discovered that the Lisbon Agenda would be reviewed. I did not give it any thought between 2000 and 2004 because it was not part of my thinking, but then it again came onto the agenda for discussion in 2004 under Ireland's Presidency, where it was felt the agenda had to be reviewed because of enlargement. I began to take stock then because I was spokesperson on European affairs, it was an interesting time for Ireland and the Taoiseach was then the President of the European Council.

Reforming the Lisbon Agenda on the basis that the EU now has 25 members with different social backgrounds is back on the agenda. The ten new members are coming out of times of political instability. They are only familiarising themselves with democracy, now they have this agenda, that Europe must achieve economic co-operation in order to achieve growth, prosperity and competitiveness. There is such a combination involved that I am not sure this will be possible.

The White Paper is strong on the subsidiarity clause, which mentions that each country must go after its own achievements. I welcome that each country and national parliament must determine where they are as regards economic growth, prosperity, the competitive and social agenda etc. between now and 2010. I welcome the necessary review of how we go forward with this Lisbon Agenda.

We can only speak about Ireland. At the end of the day, people will want to know what at this point in time will make the quality of life better for the man in the street in securing good employment and achieving economic prosperity. That is the key to the Lisbon Agenda.

No doubt there is a need for collective responsibility because we must take on the challenges of globalisation and the Lisbon Agenda is probably all about the following question — how do we face up to the globalisation of the Far-East, China and India, which are growing at such a rate and the need for these countries to combat their own poverty? There must be collective responsibility in Europe in order to take on that challenge. We must take on the challenge of the United States as well. There is, therefore, a gap and it was overly ambitious in 2000 to set these goals.

Having said that, Ireland is doing very well. We have sustained economic growth, competitiveness and practically full employment. The question is how we can sustain these to reach the goals set for 2010.

I have departed from my speech and started to wander, which is perhaps the best way to approach these matters. We must put a few measures in place and I am glad this reform programme has identified priorities. The priorities are that we must maintain our competitiveness, keep national debt low, and keep our taxes low in order to enhance the activation of employment among the population. That is my philosophy.

We also must recognise that Ireland has an aging population. I welcome the decision to set up the National Pensions Reserve Fund in 1999 to deal with that matter and to put in requirements so that there will be early retirement packages. That is important to allow for the mobility of workers. In addition, the decision to increase the age of retirement was also important. These are measures which now must be put in place for Ireland.

I do not know what the new member states will do. They will have different ways of achieving their targets. It is at the end of the period that there must be collective responsibility when it comes to dealing with the Lisbon Agenda and how we achieve it. One must not expect every member state's agenda to be the same. That is not possible.

We also must look at how we manage our public expenditure and we have done so. I can only think of the examples of the overruns in the past on infrastructure projects. I am glad measures in that regard are being put in places. I suppose we can quote Mr. Eddie Hobbs and "seek better value for money" and provide for wage benchmarking to allow that any moderate increases in pay will be identified with productivity. We could talk around the clock on this issue.

Many Senators have pointed out that it is important we invest in education. We do pretty well in the area of education although there may be some gaps on which we could improve. Primary education is first class and second level education, despite the faults we find with the leaving certificate points system, is a good passport for any student to any part of the world. Students can use it as a passport for entry to universities in many of the member states of the European Union. Nobody should suggest that our leaving certificate is not a passport to a good third level education. Despite the points system, it provides a rounded second level education, unlike in some states where students have almost completed their education by the time they are 15 years old.

We must put initiatives in place for the disadvantaged. The Minister of State must be aware of the need to fill the gaps. We have large drop-out numbers from education, particularly when students reach the age of 15 and think there are jobs for them, in particular in construction. They slip away from education because they want to make big money. It would be pity if we allowed this to continue to happen. FÁS must be part of whatever initiatives are put in place in this regard and must ensure these young people are drawn back into the education system. They may not want to do an academic leaving certificate programme but can do an applied leaving certificate programme. We should have more co-operation between FÁS and the education system to allow these students to continue their education. We must also provide lifelong learning programmes or second chance education for people who have fallen through the gaps in the education system between 15 and 18 years of age.

We have four years to put these ideas and our new initiatives in place as part of the national reform programme, to ensure we become a knowledge-based economy and to ensure we have research and development programmes equal to the best in Europe. We have professional qualification programmes in place for this. Somebody suggested we open more universities. I am not convinced another university is the answer. Waterford Institute of Technology has excellent research and development programmes. I would like to see this acknowledged by making the Waterford institute a key area for research and development, rather than by making the WIT a full-blown university. That is the way forward.

We have everything going for us here with regard to getting it right. Although there have been some mistakes, we are a model economy. Many of the member states of the European Union see us as a success story. Let us not constantly knock ourselves but consider how we can improve. When we get to 2010, let us be among the best. Let us combat globalisation and international crime and make a success of our economy so that we stand out then as one of the most successful economies of the world.