David Norris (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and compliment the Leas-Chathaoirleach on his flexibility with regard to time as far the Leader of the House is concerned. I say this sincerely because the Leader always had a very strong interest in matters when he was on this side of the House. We spoke very closely on the development of the bio-fuels industry in County Waterford. The flexibility afforded is always very useful and I am glad the Leader was not curtailed.

The question of jobs is very significant. Former US President Bill Clinton was quite correct when he said, "It's the economy, stupid". Jobs are where it is at as far as this nation is concerned. We certainly need employment. Unemployment leads to desolation and despair. It is not just bad for the economy; it is bad for the personality. I am very hopeful because I have visited areas throughout the country and I have seen local start-ups and enterprise boards. I pay tribute to enterprise centres and enterprise boards which I have seen throughout the country, for example, in Roscommon several weeks ago. I knew the people there were working from their own experience and this is important. These are organically grown jobs on the ground. One company had the wonderful new idea of collapsible easily-exportable flood barriers. This came about because the people are based in the Shannon plain. It employs a small number of people here but it exports throughout the world and hopes to bring manufacturing back. These enterprise boards and Enterprise Ireland are a key part of what will be a successful outcome.

I have a small amount of experience of business myself and I am glad to state I was successful in running two small companies, one of which is still quite successful. One was in the tourism industry. We need to examine some issues and I know I am on the same side as the Government on this. For example, our bankruptcy laws are daft. They really need to be examined and I appeal to the Minister of State to bring back to his colleagues, in particular the Minister for Finance, that we must address the issue of enterprise boards.

With regard to enterprise, job creation and competitiveness we have an extraordinary Irish gene for creativity. I am known for speaking about James Joyce and I did it this morning and on the Order of Business but we also have science. We have Robert Boyle, the son of the Earl of Cork, with his law of the expansion of gases. I could go on and on. We have so much in the area of science and we do not recognise it enough. Another day, I will have the opportunity to develop this theme.

We should also consider Hollywood. I am very glad that we spend money there. There are begrudgers who say it is wrong to give a party in Hollywood at the time of the Oscars but it is not; it is perfectly right and I hope it continues. Look at what we contributed, from DW Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation"; Rex Ingram, the director of one of the great classics of the silent era, namely, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"; Richard Baneham, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on "Avatar"; and actors such as Maureen O'Hara, Daniel Day-Lewis, Stephen Rea, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan and John Ford. Just last week, I presented prizes as I had been on the judging panel for the ICCI's human rights short films competition and one of the other judges was Brenda Fricker, the only Irish person to receive an Oscar. There is so much we can be really proud of and creativity is the root of enterprise as well as the arts and science.

I mentioned Richard Baneham. He is a young man from Tallaght who was awarded a BAFTA for his contribution to "Avatar" and was nominated for an Oscar. This was our third nomination in the area of animation. How did this come about? I remember in the 1980s when the Government attracted a major animation company from New York, Sullivan Bluth, which was based in a huge studio on the docks. It was given special facilities in return for 5% Government ownership of the studio. It opened with a staff of 85 and soon increased this to 300. The studio took young people to the United States and then brought them back. Although the company closed down, it started something and there is real start-up energy in the country. The Ballyfermot-----