Sherlock calls for refocus on research

THE Government has taken its foot off the pedal off Ireland’s research, development and innovation agenda, Labour Deputy Seán Sherlock told the Dáil.

Speaking during a debate on the nomination of the new members of Cabinet, he said the innovation agenda was a key pillar of the last Government and continued to be, under the Minister of State, Deputy English, when in the Department of Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise and by the Minister, Richard Bruton, until he became Minister for Education and Skills.

“It has now slipped off the agenda,” he said. “Ireland is now far below average in its spending on research and development and the number of PhDs in real terms is decreasing. If we are talking about becoming an innovative island on the western periphery of Europe, Brexit has permutations too in respect of our ability to attract world class researchers to our shores.

“The Government needs to give priority to that and we must ensure that our spending on research, development and innovation does not become a lower priority.

“It needs to be given greater weight by Government.”

While Deputy Sherlock said he wished to congratulate the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, he said he feared that Cork was going to lose him because the foreign affairs agenda will perhaps take him away from the Cork agenda and the Munster agenda and the regional economic development of Cork, Limerick, the western seaboard of this island, and the investment in the Cork-Limerick bypass.

Minister Michael Creed interjected: “It is alright. I will look after that.”