I asked the Tánaiste to come to the House to outline the approach of the Government to managing the spend of €2.5 billion allocated to research and development in the national development plan. This country is committed to continuing to develop the knowledge based economy. The Tánaiste has often said that to sustain Ireland's economic growth we need to make the change from the investment driven economy we now have to an innovation driven economy. I strongly agree and have raised the issue on a number of occasions in the Seanad.
This change requires investment in research and development at a level we have not witnessed in the past. The funding allocated under the national development plan is most welcome. We need this investment both for research and development in industry, Irish owned and international Irish based, and our third level colleges and research institutions. The Government has signalled that it recognises the crucial role of research and development by including this proposed spend in the national development plan.
My concern, however, is that we are now half way through the plan and the Government appears, from media reports, to be at odds about how best to strategically manage the spend on research and development and how to use that huge resource wisely and achieve the best value for money. At the end of last year the Tánaiste received the report of the special commission established, at the Government's request, by the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. According to media reports, the report makes far reaching recommendations on how the Government should marshal State funding to maximise the return on investment in research and development. It also makes recommendations that would greatly affect the relative roles of the Tánaiste's Department and other Departments, especially the Department of Education and Science.
It has been alleged in the press that there is a turf war between Ministers and representatives of a number of State agencies which currently run research and development programmes. Last week's The Irish Times, for example, reported that the report on the €2.5 billion science fund might not survive an interdepartmental turf war. It is worrying if the Government cannot agree how an important part of the national development plan is to be implemented. It is important that the Tánaiste and her Department decide on the recommendations as soon as possible.
It is also important that there is a new and strategic approach different from previous approaches because the amount of money being spent is greater and progress in this area is important to our type of economy. Differences of opinion must not be allowed to stall the implementation of the report's decisions.
The programme for Government states:
[The Government] will work to ensure that Ireland develops a world-class research capacity. We also recognise the importance of encouraging a dynamic research culture and will continue to support research on the basis of recognising the distinct, but also inter-connected roles of different programmes, from individual grants up to more targeted support for areas of national strategic interest.
With that commitment, it is important that the Government acts as soon as possible. I would like to hear the Minister of State's comments.