Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome most sincerely the Commissioner, Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. It is fitting during Europe week that we would have our own Commissioner address the House. Since the 24th Seanad commenced in 2011, I have endeavoured to fulfil the wish of the House for a more formal engagement with European institutions which have such an influence on our politics and the daily lives of all of us. We have had a number of engaging debates in recent months with our European parliamentary colleagues. The list of distinguished people is being added to today by the Commissioner's presence and I am grateful for her attendance.

I am encouraged to learn about the nature and extent of the work being done in the area of research and innovation in the European Union. I say that because the challenges facing industry, governments and policymakers are very significant. Despite signs of some green shoots, our domestic economy and the European economy remain sluggish. Even though four years have passed since the start of the financial crisis, people are suffering. When we talk about challenges, there are no greater societal challenges than ensuring innovation and technology are used to create jobs. Unemployment remains stubbornly high. This is not just an economic problem, it is also a societal challenge. We know that those who are without jobs are more at risk of poverty. Life chances diminish considerably for those who enter the poverty traps and long-term structural unemployment. Cyclical generational unemployment affects families and whole communities. I know this only too well coming from the city of Waterford which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. This influences people's health, their education, their ability to participate in the labour market, their purchasing power, their technical know-how and their contribution to society generally.

By using technology, research and innovation to drive product, service and market improvements to create sustainable employment, we can create quality jobs that will help us to address not only the economic deficits, but also the grand societal challenges which exist, not only in Ireland but right across the European Union. In turn, this will help to address the inequalities and imbalances in health outcomes, educational opportunities and labour market participation. That is why achieving political agreement on the Horizon 2020 package, the key research and innovation priority of the Irish Presidency, is so important, as Ms Geoghegan-Quinn mentioned.

I appreciate that it is a challenging process to reconcile the interests and perspectives of all the parties involved, but no doubt the sheer commitment of the Government, the Commission and all the stakeholders will be key to advancing these negotiations and making the necessary progress quickly to ensure there will be sufficient time to give effect to the necessary legislative procedures to implement Horizon 2020 from the start of 2014. For my part, any legislation that comes before this House will be given early consideration and enacted, and not delayed unnecessarily.

I thank the Commissioner most sincerely for coming to the House today in Europe Week. I look forward to a robust exchange of views with Members of the House, who rightly and continually seek debates on research and innovation and job creation.