Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as teacht isteach. I thank the Minister of State for the work done on this Bill. Ours is a small country but it has always been a country of innovators and original thinkers. We always come out on top. The Government has done so much in the context of investing in digital hubs. I meet small business owners and inventors. This Bill is about protecting inventors in order that they can get patents that will not cost them an arm and a leg. Up to now, the cost of acquiring a patent has been prohibitive.Up to this amendment to this Bill, it has been costly and complicated and you have to go to every country individually. This is a big win for the great minds, innovators and original thinkers of this country, and it is full of them. We have many in Clare and, I am sure, in Dublin. We have sown the seeds as a Government to create spaces, with these hubs, for these innovations to take place.

It would be good to look at having a local division of the court in Ireland. I suggest Clare; it is a great county. We have great fibre broadband. The west is awake. All our hubs are full and busy with good innovators. We have a huge amount of SMEs. I think 80% of our jobs are in SMEs. Nearly every week somebody contacts me about a new idea and a new thing they want to get patented.

I thank the Minister of State for his work. We have work to do to get this referendum across the line. The word "referendum" does not sit well with most people at the moment. It is on the day of the local and European elections. Nobody seems to be against us in this instance. There are no curve balls or debate based on falsehoods, which there was in the last referendum debate, though it was not all falsehoods. We like to have healthy debates based on honesty. I hope everybody in the House will continue to do that and not sow the seeds of doubt where they are not needed. We need this to be passed. We need to protect our small and brilliant innovators.