Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Action Plans for Jobs spans several Departments and has a particular relevance to rural affairs, agriculture and the environment, all of which are connected with the Leader programme. As part of the new rural development plan, that programme might not be approved until the end of year. In other words, because of the changeover with the Common Agricultural Policy regime and the rural development programme, the programme is effectively in abeyance. Will the Minister comment on that?

The Minister of State, Deputy Nash, referred to the provision of rural broadband services. I acknowledge that the roll-out plan is proceeding and there is European Commission approval for state aid. However, it is vital that progress be made as quickly as possible. Is there potential to expedite the tendering process? Even though good plans have been put forward by Vodafone in co-operation with various groups, they are targeting places that already have adequate broadband. In fact, there is reference to the 50 largest towns, which includes Dublin, Galway and other urban centres. I understand there are commercial reasons for that, but the problem is that it is the areas outside these urban centres which are dealing with inadequate service.

My final point is more of a political one, but it seems okay to raise it as there are only Government Members present. We are well on our way to achieving the target of creating 100,000 new jobs during the Government's term in office. I am concerned, however, that the target of 40,000 for this year is a little ambitious. Of course ambition is good and I hope the target is exceeded. However, in the event that 35,000 or 38,000 new jobs are created, which would still be a tremendous achievement, my concern is that we will see headlines about the Government failing to meet its jobs target. There has been great progress in recent years on the job creation front, but the Minister will understand my concern in this regard.