Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I endorse the comments made by Senator Mary White on the thalidomide issue. I compliment her on keeping it on the agenda. I have no doubt she has the support of every Member.

Earlier I listened to the debate on the ESRI report which made gloomy reading. However, I compliment the Taoiseach on his efforts to implement a strategy to create initiatives between Ireland and the United States. I hope that will prove more fruitful in the coming months. I have problems with the phrase "smart economy". I do not know what it means, but it probably means knowledge and so forth. We need to have a major debate on how educational institutions are linked with the business world in order that they can have a vision for the future and establish where jobs might be created. The issue of how we keep our young people in jobs and can manage to bring those who have emigrated back should be at the forefront of the debate in the autumn. We need to constantly discuss how best to move forward. There is no absolute solution and there are no fixed ideas. What one says today might be wrong next month. Nobody has a panacea, but let us do everything we can to create an atmosphere in which jobs can be created. I would like to discuss these issues time and again when we resume in the autumn.