Mary White (Fianna Fail)

We do not need reminding that Ireland is a small open economy with a population of just over 4.4 million people on the periphery of Europe. Our future lies at the heart of Europe. In 1973 when we joined the European Economic Community we leapfrogged mentally, and in business and trade, over the UK. We became Europeans instead of being dependent on the UK for many aspects of the economy and law, which we copied so much.

At present 450,000 people are unemployed and it has been stated this is not about jobs but I do not agree. The first issue in Ireland is the economy and creating employment for our people. The only way to create employment is to bring in foreign money through making products we can sell abroad or through tourism. Ireland is an exporting country and this is the only way it will survive and keep its economy and public services going. We depend on producing goods and services that other countries will buy. I am sorry to state many Irish people do not realise this. Unless people want to buy our goods at a competitive price existing businesses will not grow and we will not have the money to loan to businesses.

I wish to speak about foreign direct investment. When we joined the EEC in 1973 we had an accelerated influx of US multinationals. The reasons for this were our access to the European market and our English-speaking highly-educated workforce. This continues to be true but business needs certainty and confidence that no seismic shift in taxation will occur. The Sinn Féin policy of taxing people earning more than €100,000 is frightening to people in business and to those who want to start businesses. We need to create an environment in which people can grow businesses because this is the only way to create employment. At present 250,000 people in the country are directly or indirectly employed in US multinationals. As the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation stated in the House this morning, foreign direct investment is involved in employing one in every seven people in Ireland.

I am a passionate supporter of being a European. I remember when we were dependent on Britain and how our social legislation, mentality and everything about us opened up with dramatic social change when we joined the then EEC. A key change was that married women could go to work. I do not know whether everyone else who remembers when married women-----