Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As stated by other Senators, the manner in which she presents her speeches in this House, the information therein and her attitude towards this House is most welcome. She will always be of interest to us as she updates us about the Presidency.

I agree with other Senators - Senator Zappone has offered to act as an interpreter - that we should use the opportunity presented by our Presidency of the European Council and St. Patrick's Day to, as well as doing the Shamrock and bowl bit, call for free trade access as did the President of the United States in his state of the union address. Let us set the targets in this regard at a reduction of one third in the tariffs now, with the aim of half being abolished in 18 months so that this can happen during the term of office of President Obama. Nobody else has the access to the White House that we do. Other presidents and prime ministers, including in the UK and France, are envious of the access we have to the White House. Let us use it not just for the traditional green element but to promote free trade, which I agree with the Minister of State has immense possibilities not yet calculated.

In the early 1990s I was a member of the Culliton review group on public finances and industrial policy, at which time concern was expressed about some agencies of State speaking of free money from Brussels. We spent a great deal of money on FÁS in a full employment economy, which was financed from Brussels. I have heard criticisms, including from Government benches, about the bureaucratic cost of projects such as Leader. If we are getting ¤10 billion and putting in ¤12 billion of hard earned taxpayers' money-----