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

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire mar gheall ar a chuid cur i láthair. We are approaching the halfway point of the Government's term. Job creation is the biggest issue and was the biggest issue in the 2011 general election and the fiscal treaty referendum. The Government promised 100,000 additional new jobs by 2016. The household survey figures for the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2011, when the Government took office, show that the labour force has shrunk by 11,000 people, that the number in employment has increased by 3,800, that the number of full-time jobs has decreased by 10,700, that the number of part-time jobs has increased by 14,400 and that the level of under-employment has increased by 30,000. There is an increase of 3,800 jobs and the vast majority, according to the household survey figures for the past two years, are part-time jobs. The budget of the Department shows that each of the 3,800 jobs cost €442,350. This can be seen as an exaggeration because the money was not spent across all of the labour market, but the level of job creation in the past two years, given the priority accorded it was meant to receive, is phenomenally poor. This has a direct effect on every household in the State. Some 150 jobs have been created on a monthly basis since the Government came to power. Therefore, the chances of obtaining the figure of 100,000 net new jobs by 2016 are very slim, if not near impossible. Does the Minister agree that it is time to redefine achievable targets and jettison the 100,000 jobs target outlined initially?

There is lovely rhetoric on procurement in the detail of the document, but the Small Firms Association was in Leinster House last week and very clear on the message that "New Government buying policies have the potential to eliminate small businesses from the tendering process, resulting in business closures, job losses, regional imbalance and ultimately less competition in the marketplace". The OPW is not within the remit of the Minister, but the Small Firms Association cited it as not having job creation on its radar and not considering it as an issue. We can see procurement contracts being continually rolled up such that it is made more difficult for small businesses to tender for them.

A considerable amount of legislation identified in the 2012 action plan has not been completed. There are delays in Bills dealing with legal services, workplace relations, the introduction of local enterprise offices, LEOs, companies, competition and consumers. These are under the control of the Department and were highlighted in the 2012 action plan. They have not been dealt with.

In the Action Plan for Jobs there is a 50% target for foreign direct investment outside Cork and Dublin. The 2013 document does not mention this target, but IDA Ireland still uses it. There is real concern in the regions that jobs are not being attracted there. There are several figures showing that Meath and other counties do not receive IDA Ireland visits, never mind having the opportunity to attract companies to local areas. I also want to deal with micro-enterprise and other issues later.