Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister and his officials. I apologise in advance as I will have to leave early. As this is the first time the Minister has met the committee since the conclusion of the EU Presidency, I compliment him and all of the officials on their accomplished work. His Department probably had to shoulder the greatest burden during the Presidency. We can measure the outcomes on another day. A massive personal effort was made by the Minister, his ministerial colleagues and all of the officials involved. They deserve full credit for their work.

I wish to discuss the Action Plan for Jobs. It is a little like Santa Claus; one wants to believe, but all the evidence suggests he is not real. I will outline a few issues, one of which is a bugbear of mine. I tabled a jobs-related parliamentary question to the Minister, asking him what actions were taken at EU-wide level to assist young people in obtaining employment; the way the measures would translate here; and if he would make a statement on the matter. However, my question was transferred to the Minister for Social Protection. Perhaps the first disruptive reform should involve somebody taking charge. The Minister for Social Protection may answer the question but only on the basis of social protection measures. This is an ongoing issue. For example, a question on SME finance is automatically forwarded to the Department of Finance, which means that it is very difficult, bar at these sessions, to get direct answers on various issues.

Can we try to resolve something over the summer break in order that there will be a central way of answering jobs-related questions instead of trying to work out which Minister is in charge of job creation for those under 25 years? Presumably, if one is under 25 years, one's future is a concern of the Department of Social Protection, while for the over-25s, it is a concern of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

With regard to structural reforms, the partners the Minister has involved in rolling out reforms are excellent. Will he give us an indication of where they are at, what they have achieved and the backup they receive? He mentioned funding options for SMEs, a key part of the Action Plan for Jobs. Will he outline where we are on the microfinance and credit guarantee schemes? Concerns have been expressed about the pricing of both schemes and the relatively low take-up.

On the retail side, the Minister mentioned that an interdepartmental committee had been appointed. Have terms of reference been agreed to? I hope it will be looking at the issue of multiples using their powers. Last week saw reports in the newspapers on a major multiple challenging the industry to support its marketing budgets. Legislation is due from the Department in respect of multiples and the retail sector. Where are we in that regard?

Will the Minister confirm that JobsPlus is an initiative of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation or the Department of Social Protection? In that context, there are 2,400 places available, which makes it sounds like a great scheme. What sense is there that places will be filled by December? Has there been any interaction on a JobsPlus budget for next year? We had the big launch in Waterford yesterday. Will there be a roll-out of JobsPlus around the country? That has been the big issue in respect of the credit guarantee and microfinance schemes. They were announced and then parked as if they were the world's best kept secrets. What marketing roll-out will there be on JobsPlus? Will people with the capacity to create jobs be targeted? We need business to business marketing. Businesses need to be told about it rather than engaging in general advertising that will not reach home. Will the Minister work with the Companies Registration Office? It could mail its clients. The Revenue Commissioners could also be involved. The business community needs to know about the scheme if it is to work. As JobsPlus is not an initiative of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Minister may not be able to answer this point.

The Minister has staked much of his personal credibility on the export sector. He is redefining the economy and job creation. Figures for the last quarter show a halt in export related jobs and there are issues concerning the patent cliff. We have oral questions tomorrow, but what are we doing specifically about the patent cliff, given the impact the expiry of patents can have on our export markets? The Science Foundation Ireland initiatives are welcome. What work is the Minister doing with companies to try to address the issue as a matter of urgency?