Mary White (Fianna Fail)

Unless we get a better economic competitive environment, our exporting companies will not succeed. I advise my colleagues, who may not be aware of this, that our industrial energy costs are the highest in the European Union and are 34% higher than the EU average. How can our companies compete in those circumstances?

Last night, the president of the Irish Exporters Association told the Taoiseach that his members will compete if the Government gives them a chance. He said they will lower their costs, improve their added value and lower their prices. It is as simple as that. I call on the Taoiseach to apply that simple approach to the public sector. It will require leadership and courage. I do not ask that he cuts back on public services but to eliminate the waste and inefficiency because no private company in this country could survive and continue to export abroad and employ people in present circumstances. We must cherish our companies, which are the creators of employment. With our competitive base being continuously eroded and our tax bill, which pays for the public sector, we demand that the public sector becomes efficient and that its costs are reduced. I know what I am talking about because I worked in both the private and the public sectors.