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

I refer to the budget for Enterprise Ireland. In June the Department submitted a detailed response to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under the comprehensive review of capital expenditure process, which that Department is currently reviewing. When will the Minister publish his Department's submission? The Department has experienced a decrease in its budgets over the past number of years. I believe the budget is expected to be further reduced by €4 million under the 2015 budget and that there will be further cuts in current expenditure of up to €16 million. Departmental budgets have been reduced overall by a good chunk of €66 million in recent years. Given the slow rate of growth in jobs, at 5,000 in the first six months of this year, and the state of the jobs crisis, is it not the case that the objective of achieving full employment - which should be the objective for all political parties - will not happen in this decade and it will the middle of the next decade before that objective is achieved, given the rate of investment and the cuts in departmental budgets?

Enterprise Ireland has been one of the most useful tools for the development of enterprise in the State. I fully agree with the Minister's comments that Enterprise Ireland is at the centre of regional delivery of enterprise. I ask the Minister to speak about his Department's budget trends and Enterprise Ireland.