Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We should thank the Royal Dublin Society for the use of this hall, which it left us in 1924. My concern from my own area is that none of the insiders, quangos and bureaucrats had ever heard of Morgan Kelly in University College Dublin. There are people outside this insider circle who know a great deal and it is a shame to have them excluded. In the area of transport in which I operate, for example, there is a major disparity between outsiders and insiders. The people on the inside never consult those who might disagree with them and there have been many examples of this in recent times. Why is the bureaucrat sector afraid to consult? If Morgan Kelly had been listened to, we could be expanding the budget for science and technology today.

We have an insider-outsider model in the academic and research communities. It would be good to ferment some ideas of the kind I have mentioned. I note the Minister of State took my point. Wisdom is available in places other than State boards, quangos and the ranks of bureaucracy. The critics of bureaucracy will argue that it will always expand and look after itself. Hence the benchmarking of public sector pay before the recession. How would the bureaucrats like to do something for the country? On the question of whether to join the euro, most of those on the outside, including the then British Chancellor, Gordon Brown, argued that one should read the small print. He did so and Britain did not join the single currency.

The insider people in Ireland joined, which is also part of our troubles. Knowledge is not exclusive. We should always try to be inclusive of all people, which is the purpose of this amendment. I note that the Minister of State proposes to spread the net on Report Stage. Who knows, the insiders might actually be entertained and enlightened by consulting more widely. I wish those in economics had done so.