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

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhénamh leis an Aire Stáit mar gheall ar a phost nua. Is mian liom freisin comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an gCathaoirleach. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go mór leo sna róil nua atá acu.
I am pleased to note the Department has a Meath element. I hope it will pay dividends to the good citizens of the county in the coming years.
Sinn Féin welcomes any sign of improvement in the current employment crisis. While the position has improved somewhat recently, one must not get carried away or engage in incorrect analysis as to do so would result in a failure to make the policy changes required to address the serious crisis. Since the Government took office, 40,000 net new jobs have been created, including 5,000 in the past six months. Notwithstanding these improvements, unemployment remains high. The proportion of young people who are not engaged in employment or training is among the highest in Europe, and youth and long-term unemployment remains stubbornly high. We still have a two-tier economy, with much of the county outside the east coast not experiencing an increase in employment. I note a welcome improvement apparent in the IDA figures in this area. I am also aware of a push towards greater regionalisation of IDA activity. These are welcome developments which should continue.
The Government must focus on a number of areas, which I have highlighted ad nauseam for the past three years. It must focus on funding for businesses, especially on the supply side of the construction industry, the cause of the current crisis in housing. It must also address the costs of business by introducing a progressive rate and resolving the problem of upward-only rents. Utility and bank charges must also be brought into line with the European average.
Moving beyond the remit of the Minister of State, the collapse in private spending must be bridged by increasing Government expenditure in areas which would make the economy more efficient and create jobs in the short to medium term.

Under subhead A3, on which the chairman is focusing, Forfás has served the country well in recent years. I understand Forfás will be merged into the Department. What savings will arise therefrom? Will those savings be reinvested in job creation elsewhere within the Department?