Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh Deasún Mac an Easpaig freisin. He spoke to us this morning at the Irish class and made a very inspirational speech about his time in the Gaeltacht and about how much Irish he learned and how quickly. We can all learn from this and we are all grateful to him for visiting. I thank Senator Daly for facilitating the visit.

I was relieved this morning to see the two-yearly report by the ESRI which predicts growth of 27% over the next eight years up to 2015. This growth will not be achieved by default and will require hard work. The report is quite clear in stating jobs will be lost in some sectors, such as manufacturing, but there will be job opportunities in other sectors, such as financial services, but only if we plan for them, retrain staff and invest in making it easier for people to go back to school. We must ensure the availability of faster broadband and deliver new infrastructure on time and within budget. There is nothing to fear economically over the next eight to ten years provided the Government makes the steps necessary to prepare for the changes in the jobs market.

The report also expresses concern over certain issues. It states we will not meet our targets for greenhouse gas emissions and we need to recycle more. This morning I listened to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government talking on the radio about the environment and I was especially concerned about his comments on waste management. He did not inspire confidence at all and his contribution was closer to performance art than a serious attempt to tackle the issue. If the Green Party is to make an impression in Government, it should deliver on waste management.

As with Senator Fitzgerald, I was disappointed by the composition of the Ministries of State yesterday. Of 20 appointees, only two are female, Deputies Mary Wallace and Máire Hoctor. This amounts to only 10%. I cannot believe the Taoiseach could not find good, competent women that would be able to join the ranks of Ministers of State. In the Leader's constituency there is a Mary who would have done a very good job. The Taoiseach could have looked inside our own Chamber, where there is a Cecelia and a Déirdre who would have been admirable candidates. The Taoiseach took the lazy option.