Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. I disagree with some of the points outlined by Mr. Jack O'Connor. During the so-called boom the unemployment rate stood at approximately 4%; this was made up of frictional, chronic and other types of unemployment. The current 15% unemployment rate comprises individuals who want to work but cannot because there are no jobs.

I agree with the comments on the need for a stimulus package. A stimulus is a type of investment that changes the direction of the economy and creates a multiplier effect. I have a difficulty with the Government's stimulus package in that it is €2.2 billion over six years. If one takes away the capital reduction of €750 million, it actually only adds up to €800 million over six years. That is not the type of investment that will change the direction of an economy. Sinn Féin has produced a similar stimulus package to that of SIPTU, which adds up to €13 billion over four years. Our package identifies the European Investment Bank, private pensions and the National Pensions Reserve Fund as sources for funding. Consumer demand is the key to getting people back to work but it has fallen off a cliff.

With regard to issues of activation, Ms Halligan gave a figure for the number of people going through employment and skills conversion courses. Unemployment is rising by 1,200 a week, while 76,000 emigrated last year. These figures are phenomenal. The 5,000 places for Springboard courses cover only a small group. Conversion courses need to be ramped up to include larger numbers to deal with the unemployment problem. How much funding goes into conversion courses? How many go through all the various conversion courses every year? The Minister for Social Protection has indicated she would like to see various training programmes to tackle youth unemployment, as used in other states. Will Mr. Strauss give his views on such programmes?

I do not believe we do enough with regard to job retention. Germany is very good at identifying particular businesses that need support at specific times to maintain staff levels and get back to profitable operations. What is the comparative European experience in this regard? What lessons can we learn?

Any policy that makes it more difficult for a struggling small business or employer to function is negative. There is a discussion at government level about PRSI contributions for small businesses. It is necessary for employers to contribute to the social insurance contract. However, we also need to ensure that we do not push small businesses over the edge, leading to larger falls in PRSI contributions in the long term.

Are the European Structural Funds proportionate to the needs of the State? Do Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal get more per capita than countries with low unemployment?