Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I would like us to have a long debate on competitiveness centred on this very worrying report. Either the National Competitiveness Council does not know what it is talking about, which I do not believe to be the case, or we face a problem and not because of people's wage rates or increases that have been negotiated. That is how competitiveness is portrayed in this country, it is seen as related to how much people get paid. It has very little to do with that and more to do with about 100 other issues. That is why it should be properly debated.