Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

This motion is like its New Era policy, launched four times with claims it will create 100,000 new jobs every time. The motion reeks of doom and gloom. Every Member has family and friends who suffer unemployment. The businesspeople who support Fine Gael expect it to put out a bit of confidence instead of this doom and gloom. People have suffered for the past three years. They do not want it thrown at them that we will never recover economically again.

The truth is we are making strides, albeit slowly. It must be realised it is a worldwide recession in which Ireland is a small and open economy. We are, however, beginning to pick up again. I find it extraordinary the Opposition, both Labour and Fine Gael, can castigate the Government's efforts in getting the economy back on track, particularly when international bodies, such as the IMF, the EU and OECD, have said it has made the right but hard decisions. Other countries are now following our lead. Deputy Noonan, as Fine Gael's new finance spokesperson, should come forward with new and positive policies rather than recycling doom and gloom.

Job creation is the single largest issue. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, earlier referred to the 4,500 new jobs already created this year. In north Dublin, already this year Hertz announced another extra 200 jobs pushing its workforce to 1,000. The DAA has created 500 new jobs at Terminal 2 and 400 retail jobs in the airport, part of which is in Deputy Varadkar's constituency. This week, Stream Global Services announced 425 new jobs for Swords. Applegreen, which will operate the two service stations on the M1, has announced it will create 400 jobs. The Pavilion Shopping Centre in Swords, which Deputy Varadkar will be familiar with as well, will create up to 100 extra jobs. Putting down gloom-and-doom motions does nothing to give confidence to our constituents, families and friends.

In the first quarter of 2010, GDP rose by 2.7%. If the Deputies were being fair they would recognise that fact and not be living in cloud cuckoo land. On the subject of jobs, the proposed loan guarantee scheme, under which loans to SMEs would be backed up 50-50 by the State, is an important step, as recognised by everyone in this Chamber, including those on the Opposition benches.

I heard Deputy Varadkar on the radio this morning. He might want to check his own party's policy, because half its members are saying NAMA is wrong and is going in the wrong direction, while the other half are saying that we need NAMA. He might consider what his colleague Deputy Terence Flanagan has said about home equity - in effect, that we need NAMA for this reason. Every one of us recognises that this issue is a difficult one for many of our close friends, but let us be fair and consistent. If Fine Gael is against NAMA it should abolish it from all its proposals-----

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