Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach.

I join with my colleagues in congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, as I know he will do a superb job as he has a deep commitment to public service. A key element of this legislation which has been mentioned already by a number of colleagues, is solidarity. European solidarity has been more important than ever. At a time when the world is facing a very disruptive period when we look at the lack of leadership being shown in the United States and indeed the policies of China, it is important that the European Union provides global leadership both inside the Union and at a global level and this legislation is an example of that. I certainly hope that this can be seen in the future as a Hamiltonian moment within the European Union and that it will lead to greater financial cooperation across the Union.

One area which colleagues have spoken about is the wage subsidy scheme, and I certainly support this and it makes a lot of sense to have it extended. There are also opportunities within these funds, particularly in areas of innovation, digital technology and engaging with climate change, for our higher and further education sectors. I ask in particular that the new Department of further and higher education, research, innovation and science looks at ways in which this fund can be used to support long-term development in Ireland when we come out of this period.

I also wish to agree with colleagues around our cultural and creative industries. We have seen a great demand for content over the period of the pandemic. That is going to continue to grow and we should be able to use these funds to support the arts and creative industries to help us recover.