Vol. 699 Tuesday, No. 1 19 January 2010 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Tuesday, 19 January 2010. Ceisteanna—Questions Taoiseach ………………………………… 1 Minister for Social and Family Affairs Priority Questions …………………………… 11 Other Questions …………………………… 23 Adjournment Debate Matters …………………………… 28 Leaders’ Questions ……………………………… 29 Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32 ……………… 37 Order of Business ……………………………… 39 Message from Seanad ……………………………… 50 Message from Select Committee ………………………… 50 Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion ………………… 50 Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2010: Motion ……………… 50 Banking Crisis: Statements …………………………… 51 Private Members’ Business Banking Crisis: Motion …………………………… 71 Adjournment Debate Adoption Services……………………………… 91 RoadNetwork……………………………… 94 Pension Provisions …………………………… 97 Questions: Written Answers …………………………… 101 DÁIL ÉIREANN DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL OFFICIAL REPORT Imleabhar 699 Volume 699 Dé Máirt, 19 Eanáir 2010. Tuesday, 19 January 2010. ———— Chuaigh an Ceann Comhairle i gceannas ar 2.30 p.m. ———— Paidir. Prayer. ———— Ceisteanna — Questions. ———— Innovation Task Force. 1. Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Taoiseach the number of times the task force on inno- vation has met; the Ministers who attended in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44505/09] 2. Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the progress made to date of the innovation task force. [45392/09] 3. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on the work of the innovation task force. [1237/10] 161. Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Taoiseach the date, time and location of meetings of the innovation task force in 2009 and to date in 2010; the Ministers who attended in each case; when the task force will report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1476/10] The Taoiseach: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, and 161 together. I appointed the innovation task force on 29 June 2009 to advise the Government on its strategy for positioning Ireland as an international innovation development hub and to assist 1 Ceisteanna— 19 January 2010. Questions [The Taoiseach.] in making the smart economy a reality. The members of the innovation task force have a wide range of expertise and include individuals with global experience in international companies and entrepreneurs who have recently established and grown successful start-up companies. There is also representation from the higher education sector and senior representatives from a number of Departments and agencies. The task force has met in plenary session for all day meetings in Government Buildings on four occasions thus far, on 17 July, 25 September, 30 October and 14 December. I addressed the first meeting of the task force and was accompanied by the Minister of State at the Depart- ment of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for innovation, Deputy Conor Lenihan. The Minister of State also attended the meetings of 30 October and 14 December. In addition, a full day consultation meeting for task force members was held on 19 October. The task force is due to meet again on 29 January. The task force has established four working groups focusing on specific aspects of its terms of reference. These working groups, which are chaired by private sector members of the task force, have been meeting regularly and a draft report is currently being finalised to reflect their deliberations. To assist with its work, the task force issued a public request for submissions and received over 100 responses from interested groups and individuals. These submissions have been reviewed by members of the task force and will feed into its deliberations on the content of its report. A summary document highlighting key themes and proposals from the submissions has been published and is available on the innovation task force’s website. The task force is due to meet again on 29 January. I look forward to receiving its report, which I understand will be finalised shortly. Deputy Enda Kenny: I welcome the Taoiseach back to the House. On 18 December 2008, the Government published Ireland’s framework for sustainable economic renewal. That document, although launched with great fanfare, was merely a rehash of a several programmes which were already in place with the notable addition of an innovation fund of €500 million. The document refused to make any of the difficult decisions which need to accompany infrastructural develop- ment if we are to give rise to compatibility in innovation with our European Union counter- parts. Can the Taoiseach indicate the source of the aforementioned €500 million? Was it allo- cated through various Departments’ Votes or was new money put up? What is the function of the task force and the four subgroups in regard to encouraging and overseeing the work of universities, third level colleges and other organisations which deal with innovation in the context of the European framework? Clearly, the new Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science will have a substantial budget. Does the Taoiseach envisage the innovation task force having a role in overseeing and encouraging organisations and firms which are interested in innovation to become compatible with the European framework and thereby receive funding for appropriate programmes? The Taoiseach: The innovation fund is part of our five-year programme. It aims to raise funds from private sector venture capital investors who also bring their expertise to the country. The role of the State will be to provide structures and incentives to best leverage private sector investment. This is why the NTMA, which is an expert in this area, is leading the process. The amount required directly from the Exchequer is likely to be small relative to the overall size of the fund. Investment will only be required from the State as the fund grows over a number of years to an envisaged total of €500 million. Alternative models are currently being tested 2 Ceisteanna— 19 January 2010. Questions with potential venture capital investors and other stakeholders, particularly in the United States. Detailed decisions will be possible only following completion of that process. The objective is to identify and leverage private sector venture capital funds, including funds from the United States, to complement and augment the seed capital and other funds available within Enterprise Ireland, for example, for assisting high-potential start-up companies and other companies which merit or obtain market support on the basis of the product, process development or innovation they are undertaking. In the past ten years we have trebled the level of investment in research and development to some €2.5 billion, two thirds of which is leveraged in the private sector. We have devised a single income stream for the science, technology and innovation moneys from the Department, which are under the auspices of the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan. The function of the task force on innovation, which will come forward shortly with its recommendations, is to identify how we can assist high-potential start-ups more successfully so that they can be the future market leaders in the various sectors from which they spring. A more general objective is to promote higher productivity through innovation across all sectors of the economy, but the expertise in this area relates to those start-up proposals and enterprises to which I referred. Deputy Enda Kenny: Will the Taoiseach confirm how much has been committed or promised from private venture sources in respect of moneys for innovation? The task force on innovation was set up with a six-month remit, which is due to expire at the end of January. If we are to receive a report, it must be produced by the end of the month or else the lifetime of the committee must be extended. Which is the case? There is no disagreement among Members regarding the possibilities and potential for job creation arising from innovation. First, there has been much discussion of what can be done in the area of energy, including wind, wave power, tidal power, pump storage, natural gas and so on. There is no reason that this State should not be a world leader in some of these niche areas of renewable energy. Will the task force examine that potential? Second, we have all the ingredients to be a world leader in the area of biotechnology, whether arising from the clusters of medical companies in operation throughout the State or through the availability of resources and research from our universities and other third level institutions, including, for example, the Marine Institute. All these elements provide us with absolute poten- tial in terms of world leadership in the biotechnology area. Third, all the major multinational information technology companies already have a presence here, a sector in which developments are taking place at blinding speed. These are three areas where we can clearly see the potential for innovation, as exemplified on a smaller scale by the young scientists last week. All of that potential is there to be harnessed in the next 20 years. Will the task force look at the bigger picture and the longer view where there is clearly potential for substantial job creation and job sustainability arising from innovation? That will clearly require a longer-term remit for the task force than its initial six-month allocation. Irres- pective of political positions, this is something that will stand to us, but it will require encour- agement and clarity of objective from Government. Will the Taoiseach ensure, having chaired its first meeting, that the task force on innovation and its four sub-committees will focus on these clear areas of massive potential for the State? The Taoiseach: We received a detailed report recently on the area of green enterprise from the group under the chairmanship of Joe Harford, who is also a member of the innovation taskforce.