Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I concur with Senator Ó Brolcháin that Members on both sides are talented and come to the House with their own expertise and professionalism. This has been obvious to me in my time in the House. My expertise and experience have been gained in the business sector. I started a company during the horrendous recession of the 1980s and was able to observe the physical, emotional and social transformation in the unemployed persons to whom I gave employment.

The economy will only recover if we focus on export oriented businesses which have the potential to generate revenue from abroad. I have raised this matter a number of times. Unless we sell goods and services to people from abroad who want to buy our products and unless tourists visit the country, we will not have revenue. I ask for a full blooded discussion with the Tánaiste who should spell out how she intends to develop and support the enterprise economy.

While Ireland's export figures appear to be good, most of the success is attributable to the multinational sector which exports worldwide. Indigenous companies mainly export to the United Kingdom and must, therefore, try to cope with the collapse in the value of sterling. The Government must support indigenous companies run by Irishmen and women who produce food and other goods and services in the fields of information technology, finance and so forth. These companies must be on the Government's radar and it must not do anything to impede their growth, as has frequently been the case. As Senator Hanafin stated, unless the economy is based on export driven businesses and tourism, we will not survive because it will be otherwise unsustainable. If anybody believes there is light at the end of the tunnel, he or she is dreaming. We must have evidence that the enterprise sector is being supported.