Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)

I have just one point to make as most issues have been raised. Image is everything. One of the things I am into in my professional life is packaging. We know we have this wonderful advantage in that around the world we have an image of being exquisitely green, natural, pure and beautiful. Members will agree that when tourists arrive, drive around the country and visit some of our villages, there is a lot of plastic signage, with no disrespect to a few big global brands, including those of some high street stores from the United Kingdom. It is like buying a Barbie doll for one's child in that one can get the same toy anywhere in the world.

I would like the Minister of State to consider a fairly radical idea, namely, getting rid of all plastic signage in Ireland and bringing back wooden signs in every one of our towns. Let us think of Adare, Kenmare, Kinsale or Kilkenny, which are all places I love to visit because I have this feeling that everything, including the food, will be gorgeous because of the exterior. It is a small and slightly eccentric idea but, I believe, a strong one. Let us get rid of plastic and bring in the old traditional wooden signage in order that when people come to visit, they will say: "Wow. This really is the Ireland I have dreamt about." For the 70 million people throughout the world, that is what they think we are. Let us not try to look like everyone else.