Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

A pertinent point was made about graduates and bringing skills into the country. Our labour market has benefited greatly from migration, mainly from eastern Europe, but there is a bigger issue at stake, namely, attracting graduates here from universities throughout the world. We will not compete in manufacturing alone. It is fundamental that we promote research and development and high end upskilling. We can produce highly efficient people in research and development but if we are to broaden our base and our minds we must attract the top class university graduates throughout the world to our universities, link them up with businesses and research and development and sell that positive message abroad in future years. One of the best ways to make links with the globalised economy is through graduates who have studied here and forged links with our country. In future years they will become entrepreneurs, business people and academics and will have a very positive view of Ireland.

A number of areas were referred to by Senator Mary White. I must acknowledge, from my party's point of view, the work Senator White has done in several areas but the issue of the retirement age is being examined in a number of contexts. There is a financial imperative in addressing the question of mandatory retirement. Demographic changes and the challenges ahead were referred to by other Senators also. Those are issues we must address now. This was acknowledged from a financial point of view in the context of setting up the national pensions reserve fund, for example, but the human capital and the loss of talent and ability——