Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and support the amendment of my colleague, Senator O'Reilly. I was in secondary school when I began to understand how to debate and speak in public and did so through my debating class. My teacher used to give me the tip that it is good to begin a speech with a personal anecdote of some kind to show one is engaged with one's subject and to try to gain the attention of one's audience. Therefore, I will take a brave gamble in this debate and begin with a personal anecdote to illustrate a broader political point. I must declare my prejudices from the start. I am an absolute gadget nerd, I love technology and I use it all the time. Its effect on personal development and effectiveness is magnificent.

I was slow to come to the phenomenon of Twitter, a service about which I am sure Senators will have heard that users use to communicate with other people via messages of 140 characters or fewer. Nine months ago, before I was distracted by other matters, I decided to establish a presence on Twitter and connect with people in new ways. As a complete nerd, I first asked myself who I should seek out first. I did not choose Senator Daly, although I may get around to contacting him later this evening. The first person I looked for was Mr. Tom Watson who at that time was the minister in the British Government with responsibility for the digital society. Mr. Watson recently left office because, I understand, he was involved in certain political machinations which went beyond his ministerial portfolio. Having looked him up, I sent him a message to which he responded within about five seconds. He stated it was great to see an Irish politician taking an interest and broadcasting across the water and we then engaged in dialogue for a few minutes on the effect of technology on politics. When I mentioned in a message that I had become interested in new technology through reading a particular book, he replied immediately inviting me to join him at dinner that evening with the author of the book in question. I had to decline his offer as Senator Cummins, as a party Whip, would not permit my absence and my wife was loth to have me travel to the United Kingdom at short notice to attend a dinner.

I raise this personal anecdote to illustrate the broader point that governments in other countries are leaps ahead of our Government in embracing new technologies. Senator Butler referred to the smart economy document published by the Government at the end of last year to show how economic recovery could be led by technologies such as those referred to in the debate. Having taken time to read the entire document, I found it among the most dispiriting Government publications I have read recently. It contained little that was new and where issues were notable or different, the document did not provide deadlines or timetables for delivery or mechanisms by which people could be held accountable. The Minister may quibble and argue that the document bundled a range of important issues but he cannot deny its complete absence of accountability.

The contrast between the Government's position and the positions adopted by other countries is notable. Earlier this week, the British Government published the Digital Britain report, its road map for economic recovery through the use of digital technologies. I examined the document while preparing for this debate and was stunned by the scope of the issues considered and timetable for realising them. The final report details areas for legislative change, highlighting intellectual property protection, a broadband universal service commitment, public service content and action that can be taken in the areas of video games and radio. It also includes a detailed plan by Government departments indicating when various actions will be implemented. The other most telling aspect of the report is the commitment and culture surrounding it.

I noted while browsing a website earlier this week that a road show will travel to the North this week to meet members of local authorities and politicians and explain the role of Northern Ireland in realising the recommendations of the Digital Britain report. Having been published just this week, road shows are already under way in the various regions of the United Kingdom aimed at explaining what is required to achieve the report's objectives. Published by Lords Mandelson and Carter, Digital Britain is a high quality document which embraces technology.

While broader questions may arise regarding the use of a Minister's time in responding to messages sent using the Twitter service, my point stands regarding the manner in which new technology has been embraced in Britain and the willingness of people there to engage with it. Before retiring to the back benches, perhaps to ponder the future of his party, the Minister, Mr. Tom Watson, published a report by the power of information task force. Its recommendations, which focus on creating employment by using technology, are stunning in the scope of their ambition and in the minimal cost of implementing many of them. They include a proposal that the Ordnance Survey make available on the Internet all information available to it to enable it to be used by members of the public and commercial entities. It also recommends that the Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee make data mashing a Government priority. While I am not sure what such a process involves, I am stunned to find these recommendations at the core of the British Government's plans. It also highlights how little progress Ireland has made in the use of information technology and underscores the crying shame that is the lack of broadband delivery across this country.

I encourage Senators to read a report published by the Institute of International and European Affairs entitled The Next Leap: A Competitive Ireland in the Digital Era. The broad scope of its recommendations is a move in the right direction. The report refers to branding Ireland as a green data centre location and recommends establishing niche exploration groups to examine small areas of technology which could be exploited for high commercial return and employment. It also outlines how the leaving certificate could be changed and the digital curriculum quickly rolled out at primary level. While money is scarce, the money invested in implementing these recommendations would soon be justified in terms of the commercial and social return secured. The enthusiasm with which technology has been embraced by other governments puts the Irish Government to shame.